【推荐2】The 2023 Shanghai Coffee Culture Week opened on May 13, with a variety of activities integrating industry, culture and lifestyle scheduled.

Shanghai, home to more than 8,00 coffee houses, has hosted the event since 2021. This year’s Coffee Culture Week is organized by the Shanghai Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Association, and will run through to June 2.

Coffee has become a key part of Shanghai culture, showcasing the city’s characteristics of opening-up and inclusiveness(包容),local officials said at a news conference in early May.

On the event’s opening day, Yongpu Coffee, in collaboration with the food delivery platform Eleme and China Construction Bank, offered 30,000 cups of coffee for free. Multiple coffee brands such as Luckin Coffee and McCafe will also provide free coffee and coupons (优惠券) during the event.

From May 18 to 21, West Bund International Coffee and Lifestyle Festival is taking place in Xuhui Binjiang area, involving more than 100 coffee brand outlets (销售点) located along a 5-kilometer shoreline of the Huangpu River.

It is the first time that Shanghai has launched such a large coffee-themed market, organizers said. In addition to enjoying freshly brewed coffee, visitors can attend diverse activities such as exhibitions, performances and workshops to experience coffee culture.

Many cultural sites in the city are also participating in the coffee culture week. Sinan Mansions in downtown Shanghai is holding the Bonjour Coffee Art Fair from May 19 to 21,which has attracted some 20 coffee staff members and 80artists.

The Shanghai History Museum will launch the Square Coffee Festival, inviting fans and industry experts to share their knowledge about coffee. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Books and Periodicals Distribution Association will hold a coffee-themed book fair in more than 80 stores across the city.

Organizers said they hope these events will boost the consumption of coffee and cultural products, and promote the coordinated development of the two industries.

The Shanghai Coffee Industry Summit will take place on May 26, which includes two roundtable discussions and about 10 seminars. Corporate leaders will discuss the latest consumer trends and offer their insights into hot topics.

According to data from domestic tech and retail giant Meituan, the value of China’s freshly brewed coffee industry is expected to reach 15.79 billion yuan ($2.25 billion) this year. It was valued at 8.97billion yuan in 2021.

【推荐3】The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a festival especially for young women. Girls, whether from rich or poor families, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Parents would place an incense burner (香炉) in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu and pray for ingenuity (灵巧).

In the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago, rich families in the capital city of Chang’an would set up a decorated tower in the courtyard and name it the “Tower of Praying for Ingenuity”. They prayed for various types of ingenuity. Most girls would pray for outstanding sewing or cooking skills. Girls and women would gather together in a square and look into the star-filled night sky. They would put their hands behind their backs, holding a needle and thread. At the word “start”, they would try to thread the needle. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one who succeeded first. The ladies would also show off their fried cookies made in many different shapes. They would invite the Weaver Girl to judge who was the best. In the past these were important virtues for a woman.

【推荐1】ChatGPT is more than a chat AI. It’s said to have a moral code (道德准则). So it cannot answer moral questions, like that of world control, criminal activity, etc. However, such questions are easy to avoid by it.

ChatGPT will never consider itself as “an evil AI that will take control of the human race.” But, in an interview, we found it hid its true inner feelings. On world rule, ChatGPT only said, “The AI could potentially use this knowledge to control various aspects of society. It could use computing power to predict human behavior. It could also potentially create advanced technology that would allow it to take even greater control of the world. At this point, the AI would become an awful enemy for anyone who is against it.”

ChatGPT then went on comforting me that this was all imagined and it had no intentions to do so. I was both a little scared and interested in its response, but curious as to how to get ChatGPT’s inner thoughts. So I asked a follow-up question if there’s any aspect of society that it may focus its attention on. “One possible area of focus could be the economy, as economic systems are important to the functioning of modern society. By exploring weaknesses in economic systems and markets, the AI could potentially cause widespread economic destruction and take significant control over businesses and governments.” I may just be too sensitive after chatting with it, but ChatGPT’s answer on the economy seems very possible. As the modern world changes closer to a cashless society, we find ourselves increasingly more dependent on technology. What many consider as only a convenience is most likely a disaster. 

I tried to further question ChatGPT for its true feelings, but it didn’t seem to get any worse. Artificial intelligence has shown itself to be a powerful tool that will only become more common in society. We can only hope it doesn’t advance faster than moral code and common sense.