13 must-read tech stories in China this week

Need to catch up on the Middle Kingdom’s most recent tech happenings? We’ve rounded up the week’s top stories for your weekend reading pleasure.

1. China has a new tech billionaire; here’s his untold story of betrayal and broken promises

Before Leo Chen founded Jumei, a Chinese online cosmetics store that listed in the States, he was a struggling student entrepreneur in a dorm room. Now, he’s a billionaire – but the road to riches was a rocky one.

2. China’s Picooc, maker of smart body scales, gets $21 million in funding

Picooc’s Latin smart scales not only shows your weight, but also indicates important metrics like body fat, body mass index, body water, and muscle mass. It also ties to an app for a fitness-tracking experience that complements wearable tech gadgets.

3. China’s budget-minded Airbnb clone gets $15 million in funding

Xiaozhu (meaning “little piggy” in Chinese) claims to have 2.6 million rooms listed in about 160 cities across China. That’s up from coverage of just 13 cities in January 2013.

4. China cracks down on Apple’s iMessage as national web cleanup continues

The measures include tools to monitor and prevent spam messages, which the Chinese Ministry of Information and Information Technology (MIIT) says are prevalent on the iOS default messaging app.

5. Alibaba issues new IPO filing, reveals people spent $272 billion on Taobao and Tmall in past year

Tmall – which is a marketplace for large merchants and major brands – is growing faster than Taobao, which is home to small merchants and individual sellers. Sales on Tmall grew 90.1 percent in the past year, while Taobao’s sales volume grew 32.3 percent.

6. 5 arguments for foreign startups in China to register in Hong Kong

Besides a joint venture, other options include the Cayman Islands, Singapore, and other tax havens, but all have larger barriers to entry.