6 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

It was an interesting week for technology news in and around China, starting out with the huge acquisition of Tudou by Youku. Perhaps the the second biggest story came on Friday, as the real-name deadline for microblogs came and went on March 16th. But as you’ll see, many are still confused. Including us.

1. In a Huge Deal For the Chinese Web, Youku and Tudou Merge

It was announced that China’s two largest video-streaming sites, Youku and Tudou, have signed a deal to merge. Or, rather, Youku will swallow up Tudou in its entirety.

2. Baidu HR Staffer Launches Pop Career with Debut Song ‘Angry Birds’

Early last week we saw an unusual story about Baidu HR staffer Liu Dong, aka Jocelin, who launched her first pop song, strangely titled ‘Angry Birds.’ This post was one of our more popular articles this week, telling us just how much our readership loves Baidu!

3. China Unicom: Downloading iPhone or iPad Apps Exceeding 50MB on 3G is Fine With Us

Good news for Chinese iPhone users on China Unicom. The company negotiated with Apple to allow users to download and update apps larger that 50MB over its 3G network.

4. Apple Hong Kong Stymies Scalpers, Scalpers Respond in Stupidest Imaginable Way

While Apple fans on the mainland had good news from China Unicom, fanboys down south in Hong Kong were also in for a treat with the release of the new iPad. Who wasn’t happy? Scalpers.

5. Meizu’s Flyme Store Hits 100 Million App Downloads, Looks Towards a Billion

And then there’s China’s own Apple wannabee, Meizu, who claimed that it hit the 100 million app download mark, this just a week after Apple hit 25 billion downloads. Perhaps appropriately, Meizu continued to borrow liberally from Apple for its announcement graphic.

6. Sina Weibo’s Weipocalypse

As Sina Weibo’s March 16th real-name deadline came and went on Friday, we could still post to the Chinese microblogging services without problem. As if that wasn’t strange enough, our man in Beijing notes today that many Sina users – himself included – are receiving thank you messages for filling out identification information. What’s strange about that? They haven’t actually submitted anything!