Latest news with #Douyin
The Print
2 hours ago
- General
- The Print
China restaurant offering tea and lion cub hugs criticised by animal groups
Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150). Some customers of Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city have posted pictures and video clips of themselves cradling lion cubs on China's WeChat and Weibo platforms. HONG KONG (Reuters) -A restaurant in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi offering hugs with lion cubs while diners have a four-course tea has been criticised by animal welfare groups and drawn condemnation online, however the restaurant says the cubs are well cared for. The restaurant told Reuters that it did have lion cubs at the restaurant and that they were taken care of very well, with specialised carers to tend to them. While some zoos around the world, such as in Singapore or Australia, offer dining experiences near animal enclosures or views of the wildlife, it is rare for a restaurant to have direct physical interaction with wild animals. Besides the cubs, the restaurant also features llamas, turtles and deer on its page on Douyin, China's counterpart to social media app TikTok. Online comments were mostly critical, saying the Chinese restaurant venture was dangerous and not good for the animals. 'This is for the rich to play,' said one Weibo user. Another user urged action by the authorities, adding, 'The relevant departments should take care of it.' 'Tearing lion cubs from their mothers so diners can handle them over afternoon tea is exploitation, not entertainment. These animals are living, feeling beings, not toys,' People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Senior Vice President Jason Baker told Reuters. He added that the animals were 'treated like nothing more than social media props.' Peter Li, China policy expert for Humane World for Animals, said: 'Exploiting wild animals for selfies and marketing gimmicks is not only appallingly bad animal welfare, it's also potentially risky for customers.' 'Even a young lion is capable of lashing out and injuring a human. So, treating wild animals like props is both morally unacceptable and dangerously irresponsible.' Last month, Chinese authorities investigated a hotel for offering a 'wake-up service' with red pandas, state media said. The hotel in the southwestern region of Chongqing allowed the animals to climb onto beds to awaken guests. ($1=7.1806 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Alexandra Hudson) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
TikTok Continues to Face Challenges With its In-Stream Shopping Push
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. TikTok's plan to convert itself into a global eCommerce powerhouse continues to face challenges, with the platform's in-stream shopping options now struggling to gain significant ground in Indonesia, where TikTok had been seeing higher levels of shopping success. Last year, TikTok acquired local online retail provider Tokopedia, in order to comply with local regulations that limit social media companies from operating eCommerce platforms. The idea was that this would enable TikTok to both align with its legal requirements, while also piggybacking off of Tokopedia's success, with the shopping app having established itself as a key online commerce tool in the region. But reports suggest that it hasn't played out the way that TikTok hoped. According to Rest of World, TikTok has since pushed Tokopedia sellers to make TikTok-like content, which is very different from the static product shots they could add to Tokopedia. Sellers have also reported lower site visits, as well as higher fees and ad costs, which has prompted many of them to switch to other commerce platforms instead. So rather than building TikTok's online shopping presence, it's seemingly now taken it back a step. Which would be a particularly tough pill to swallow for TikTok, given that it paid $US840 million for Tokopedia, and TikTok had been gaining traction with its in-stream sales options in South East Asian markets. It hasn't, however, seen the same success in Western regions, where consumers continue to prefer to keep their shopping activity separate from their social and/or entertainment apps. For whatever reason, Western users haven't shown the same preference as Chinese digital consumers to cram as much functionality as they can into a single app, which is what's seen platforms like WeChat and TikTok become major money makers in the Chinese local market. And now, TikTok's sales push is stalling in other regions as well, and it'll be interesting to see whether TikTok looks to shift focus onto its ad business instead, if it can't gain real traction for its online shopping options. But then again, TikTok shopping is steadily rising, just not as fast as TikTok would like. Last month, TikTok reported that: 'Over the past year, our community of sellers has expanded into more than 750 categories, bringing shoppers an incredible selection of over 70 million products. So far in 2025, our growing community of shoppers, sellers, and creators has driven impressive momentum across the TikTok Shop platform. In the U.S., TikTok Shop sales have increased 120% compared to the same period last year.' So TikTok shopping is on the rise, but it's a far cry from the immediate success that the company saw with its shopping options in China. Indeed, shopping is now the top revenue stream for Douyin, the Chinese version of the app, with Douyin bringing in $US490 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2024 alone. By comparison, TikTok reportedly generated around $US33 billion in GMV, across all other markets. The numbers underline the potential, but also the challenge, in that TikTok has been pushing its shopping options for four years now, and they haven't gained at the same rate as they have in the Chinese market. But it's still potentially an area of opportunity. And while TikTok is facing pushback in some regions, it seems likely that it'll continue to plough on with its shopping options, with a view to tapping into that same potential in more regions. Challenges remain, but there's seemingly enough growth to keep TikTok focused on making this a thing, which is worth noting for online sellers. Recommended Reading TikTok Shares Data on Account Removals and Government Requests in 2024 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Deccan Herald
14 hours ago
- General
- Deccan Herald
Lion cub cuddles on offer with afternoon tea in China
Teatime revels in China now include hugs with lion cubs in a four-course afternoon set offered by a restaurant in the northern province of Shanxi, drawing widespread attention online and fuelling concern for the animals' welfare. Customers cradled the lion cubs as if they were babies in pictures and video clips posted online on China's Wechat and Weibo platforms. The Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city features llamas, turtles and deer in addition to the cubs on its page on Douyin, China's counterpart to social media app TikTok. Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150), the state-run Shanghai Daily said on its official Wechat page. "The service has raised serious concerns about legality and animal welfare," the English-language newspaper added. Reuters was unable to independently contact Wanhui. Online comments were mostly critical, saying the venture was dangerous and not good for the animals. "This is for the rich to play," said one Weibo user. "Ordinary people even can't afford to drink." Another user urged action by the authorities, adding, "The relevant departments should take care of it." The incident comes just after authorities investigated a hotel in June for offering a "wake-up service" starring red pandas, state media said. The hotel in the southwestern region of Chongqing allowed the animals to climb onto beds to awaken guests.
NDTV
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Lion Cub Cuddles On Offer With Afternoon Tea In China
Teatime revels in China now include hugs with lion cubs in a four-course afternoon set offered by a restaurant in the northern province of Shanxi, drawing widespread attention online and fuelling concern for the animals' welfare. Customers cradled the lion cubs as if they were babies in pictures and video clips posted online on China's Wechat and Weibo platforms. The Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city features llamas, turtles and deer in addition to the cubs on its page on Douyin , China's counterpart to social media app TikTok. Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150), the state-run Shanghai Daily said on its official Wechat page. "The service has raised serious concerns about legality and animal welfare," the English-language newspaper added. Reuters was unable to independently contact Wanhui. Online comments were mostly critical, saying the venture was dangerous and not good for the animals. "This is for the rich to play," said one Weibo user. "Ordinary people even can't afford to drink." Another user urged action by the authorities, adding, "The relevant departments should take care of it." The incident comes just after authorities investigated a hotel in June for offering a "wake-up service" starring red pandas, state media said. The hotel in the southwestern region of Chongqing allowed the animals to climb onto beds to awaken guests.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Restaurant in China offers lion cub cuddles alongside afternoon tea
Teatime revels in China now include hugs with lion cubs in a four-course afternoon set offered by a restaurant in the northern province of Shanxi, drawing widespread attention online and fueling concern for the animals' welfare. Customers cradled the lion cubs as if they were babies in pictures and video clips posted online on China's Wechat and Weibo platforms. The Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city features llamas, turtles and deer in addition to the cubs on its page on Douyin, China's counterpart to social media app TikTok. Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150), the state-run Shanghai Daily said on its official Wechat page. 'The service has raised serious concerns about legality and animal welfare,' the English-language newspaper added. Related video Japan's panda town was booming. Now China wants its pandas back Reuters was unable to independently contact Wanhui. Online comments were mostly critical, saying the venture was dangerous and not good for the animals. 'This is for the rich to play,' said one Weibo user. 'Ordinary people even can't afford to drink.' Another user urged action by the authorities, adding, 'The relevant departments should take care of it.' The incident comes just after authorities investigated a hotel in June for offering a 'wake-up service' starring red pandas, state media said. The hotel in the southwestern region of Chongqing allowed the animals to climb onto beds to awaken guests.
