Yaling Jiang, Founder of "Following The Yuan" | The Reception Of The Barbie Movie In China & Newsletter-Based Journalism

The Negotiation

In this episode of The Negotiation Podcast, we feature part one of our conversation with Yaling Jiang, Founder of "Following the Yuan," a popular newsletter focused on Chinese consumers. Before launching her own newsletter, Yaling wrote for outlets such as SCMP, Glossy, Vogue Business, and WWD.

In the first half of our conversation with Yaling, we learn the history of “Following the Yuan” and what drove her to start producing it, as well as an overview of the newsletter-based journalism field in general and its parallels with WeChat official accounts. We also ask Yaling to touch on the “Asian Baby Girl” trend, before diving head-long into the Barbie movie phenomenon, its reception amongst audiences in China, and dovetailing that into a deeper discussion of what toys children in China grow up with. Enjoy!

Topics Discussed and Key Points:

● Yaling’s frustration with English-language journalism covering China

● The increasing popularity of newsletter-based journalism

● The parallels between newsletter-based journalism and WeChat official accounts in China

● Cultural perceptions and misunderstandings of "Asian Baby Girl" (ABG)

● The reception of the Barbie movie in China compared to the incredible fanfare received in the West

● A discussion of what toys children in China grow up with and how it differs from the West both in quantity and style

Notable Quotes

“When striving to work for bigger and bigger newspapers and platforms, I realized that the newsrooms don't always prioritize people's stories. They don't prioritize the consumer stories in the business world, instead, they go for the click.”

“People see the news as a key way to stay connected with the audience. A bit like how channel marketers see WeChat official accounts as a key form of communication channel with their audience.”

“In Barbie world, I mean, women or everybody seems they've already changed the world because in their world like they can be president, they can be a supreme judge that can be lawyers. And it's a place ruled by women. So in their mind, they've already changed the world to a better place.”