Branding Events of China Daily

Since its launch in 1981, China Daily has grown to become the nation’s leading English-language newspaper. With a combined print, online and mobile readership of more than 350 million, it serves a vital role in telling the world about China, providing a valuable insight into the world’s second largest economy. A series of branding events are conducted by China Daily to improve public diplomacy and international communication.

Vision China Lectures

A series of talks are organized by China Daily in which leading political and business figures are invited to speak and interact live with domestic and foreign audiences. The Vision China lectures focus on major issues facing China and the world, explore what Chinas story means for the world, and show how Chinese wisdom can help the world.

China Watch Think Tank Forum

Elites, including opinion leaders, politicians and business people with expertise on China, discuss topics on the development and the future of China and the world in China Watch Think Tank Forum.

Asia Leadership Roundtable

Asia Leadership Roundtable provides a platform for high-level dialog and communication among leaders and social elites in the fields of politics, business and academia in Asia.

“21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition

The competition is the most famous English-speaking competition in China. It is the qualifying round for students who wish to represent China in the International Public Speaking Competition in London.

For more details, click here.

Get up at 6 a.m., arrive at the hospital one hour earlier to help patients check in, and accompany patients during consultations... In recent years, the patient escort has emerged as a new occupation, and those who have taken on this career are known as “people who sell time”. 26-year-old Zhang Tian is one of them.

September 4, 2022 was a lucky day for Zhang Tian. On this day, Zhang Tian saw a video about patient escorts on a short video platform. The daily routine of patient escorts shown in the video fascinated her and inspired her to take this on as a business. She browsed through many platforms and searched for information and found there indeed exists a certain demand for patient escorts, especially for the elderly, children and pregnant women. Since she had never engaged in this kind of work before, she spent two days in major hospitals in Wuhan, in order to familiarize herself with all the departments on different floors, as well as the processes of medical consultations and preparations for surgery.

After the preparations, Zhang Tian posted a video of self-introduction on major social media sites, talking about the help and services a patient escort provides, as well as some tips for a quick and convenient medical consultation. At first, she was a little worried that her video would go unnoticed. However, after she uploaded the video, it got over 100 likes and she received her first offer as a patient escort.

The memory of her first task is still vivid in her mind. She received a phone call on September 9 from a man whose father was seriously ill and might need surgery. He wanted Zhang Tian to accompany his father through his consultation and treatment. Zhang Tian made all the preparations before meeting her first client and did a very good job despite her nervousness.

“Later, the family expressed their gratitude to me over and over again, which warmed my heart and gave me a sense of achievement,” Zhang Tian said.

In many restaurants worldwide, there’s a new sight — child-sized robots. These robots can welcome guests, show them to their tables, deliver food and drinks, and even transport dirty dishes back to the kitchen. Some believe these robot waiters could be a solution to today’s worker shortages (短缺，不足) in the restaurant industry, with tens of thousands of them now in use.

But other people think that robots can’t replace (取代) human workers. Robot waiters can’t take orders, and they struggle with steps, limiting their abilities.

Although there are disadvantages, their use is growing. For example, in Madison Heights, Michigan, Li Zhai faced difficulty finding enough workers for his restaurant. To address this, he bought robots from Pudu Robotics. These robots have been a success, with one leading guests to their seats, another delivering food, and a third transporting dirty dishes.

Zhai found that using these robots reduced his need for employees. Three robots now do the work of what used to need five or six people. And a robot costs around $15,000, while a human can cost 5,000 to 6,000 per month. These robots also have a surprising benefit—they free up human servers to spend more time with customers, resulting in increased tips. Additionally, diners (用餐者) often share videos of the robots on social media, attracting more visitors to the restaurant.

However, not all restaurants have had the same success. For example, Chili’s (奇利斯餐厅) introduced robot servers in 2020, but were criticized (批评) for their slow movement and getting in the way of human servers. A survey showed that 58% of guests believed the robots didn’t improve their overall dining experience.