SHANGHAI (AdAge.com) -- Blogging has become a national obsession in China, with over 50 million Chinese regularly contributing to local blog sites. A handful of these sites are written in English, and provide a fascinating perspective on a country that is changing quickly. Below, Ad Age China identified 20 blogs that can serve as a great resource for marketers in the country.
This special report is a follow-up to an earlier report published by Ad Age China, "25 China Experts You Should Follow on Twitter."
1. ACCESS ASIA
Access Asia, a U.K.-based company providing market intelligence about Greater China, publishes a snarky weekly update reflecting relevant business, economic and political issues.
The Great Proletarian Outdoors Revolution! Well Great, if Perhaps Not That Much Outdoors, Or Very Proletarian.
2. RAY ALLY
Ray Ally, executive director-brand consultancy at Landor Associates in Beijing, writes a blog about art, branding, communication and design called X-RAY China, brought to life with plenty of photos and videos.
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3. AIMEE BARNES
Aimee Barnes, a writer, researcher and strategist based in New York, publishes interviews with
expatriate entrepreneurs, Chinese business professionals and other innovative thinkers on her personal blog at aimeebarnes.com.
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4. PEKING DUCK BLOG
Richard Burger calls his Peking Duck blog "a hybrid of personal journal, dilettantish punditry, pseudo-philosophy." We call it a great read that generates healthy debates in the comments section.
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5. CHANGING ASIAS
Changing Asias is the mouthpiece of Hong Kong-based WPP Group agency Bates 141, and offers timely research and insights into Asia's consumer markets, with a focus on China.
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6. CHINASMACK
What's in the Chinese press? Check ChinaSMACK , a collection of translated content from Chinese-language news sources. It provides a good idea of what's spreading across China's major BBS forums and social-networking sites. ChinaSMACK is our favorite Chinese news site, but there are similar services offering English translations of Chinese newspaper articles, such as EastSouthWestNorth (www.zonaeuropa.com/weblog.htm), another favorite with expats, and China Hush
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7. THE CHINA BEAT
Launched in early 2008 by Kenneth Pomeranz and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, The China Beat provides context and criticism on contemporary China from China scholars and journalists. There's not much light reading on this site but the academic approach pays off.
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8. CHINA HEARSAY
A China resident since 1999, Stan Abrams offers commentary about China's legal system, economy and business practices in China Hearsay.
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9. CHINA IWOM BLOG
For updates on China's enormous and expanding net culture, read the China IWOM blog written by Sam Flemming, co-founder and CEO of CIC, an internet word-of-mouth research and consulting firm in China.
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10. CHINA LAW BLOG
China Law Blog focuses on business law in China through posts that are direct and entertaining. The blog is written by Dan Harris, an international lawyer based in the U.S. and Steve Dickinson, an international lawyer based in China, both of whom work for law firm Harris & Moure.
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11. CHINA MEDIA PROJECT
Created by the University of Hong Kong's Journalism & Media Studies Center, China Media Project offers news and analysis about China's media industry, including regulations and new media trends.
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12. CHINA YOUTHOLOGY
Stay current on youth trends with a blog produced by the brand-youth connection consultancy China Youthology, in English and in Chinese.
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13. THOMAS CRAMPTON
Thomas Crampton, Ogilvy PR's Hong Kong-based director of 360 digital influence in Asia-Pacific, writes about social media in China and the rest of Asia. His site features top names thanks to the contacts of this former International Herald Tribune correspondent.
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14. DANWEI.COM
A must-read among China's advertising community, Danwei.com covers China's media, advertising and urban life with wit and healthy cynicism.
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15. JAMES FALLOWS
The Atlantic's correspondent in Beijing, James Fallows, brings decades of experience to his blog covering business, political and cultural issues. He is easily one of the best social commentators in China today.
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16. THOMAS D. GORMAN
Thomas D. Gorman has a bilingual blog on the Fortune China website, under the pen name "Sibuxiang." Most posts are anecdotes and photos from his early travels in China in the 1970s, providing a vivid picture of life in China during that era, a reminder of how far China has come, and still needs to go.
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17. IMAGETHIEF
William Moss, a self-described "spin doctor" based in Beijing, is the creator of one of China's most popular blogs, Imagethief, which covers that country's public relations, media, technology and pop culture.
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18. IP DRAGON
IP Dragon is dedicated to gathering and sharing information about intellectual property in China, a murky area since government officials have been slow to crack down on piracy.
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19. MALCOLM MOORE
Malcolm Moore pens this site, an entertaining description about his experiences in China as the Telegraph's Shanghai correspondent.
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20. NEOCHAEDGE
NeochaEDGE showcases leading-edge creative content and emerging youth culture in China, in both English and Chinese. The site is edited by Adam Schokora, strategist for Edelman's digital division in Shanghai.
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