“Coming back [to China] was the right move. Now when something happens in the U.S. we get that information almost immediately. It’s about the speed of information transfer and that pool of people who have come back.”

“I know people in Silicon Valley are really smart, and they’re really successful because they can overcome any problem they face. But I don’t think they’ve ever faced a problem like the Chinese Communist Party.”

“Baidu doubled down on that [arrogant imperialists vs. hometown heroes] narrative with perhaps the most infamous advertisement in Chinese tech history. In a two-minute spot that was leaked online, a cocky white American in a tuxedo and top hat engages in a battle of wits against a clever Chinese poet dressed in traditional garb. The American begins the battle surrounded by fans and with an adoring Chinese woman in a brown wig hanging on his arm. But as the Chinese rival shoots off progressively more complex Chinese tongue twisters, the American grows frustrated and stumbles over the language. Members of the crowd soon abandon the American in the top hat, rushing over to the Chinese poet’s side. When this hometown Chinese hero plants a kiss on the wig-wearing woman, the American begins spitting up blood and collapses on the cobblestones. The spot ends with the crowd standing over the vanquished American, calling out in unison: “Baidu understands Chinese better!””