Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

Rising Tones

Chinese Users Find Little Money in ‘Selling’ Their Faces to AI

Companies that let users license their likenesses for use in AI-made short dramas and ads promise high income in a short period. But users report few real financial gains.

Fan Yiying

Divorcés Starring in TV Romances? China’s Internet Isn’t So Sure

“Against the Current,” the country’s current top TV drama, features a high-ranking Ming dynasty divorcé who marries his former maid, part of a trend of shows featuring divorced men.

Li Xin

Zheng Qinwen’s China Open Win Swamps Her Sponsor’s Tea Shops

After the 24-year-old became the first Chinese woman to win the China Open, milk tea giant Chagee offered buy-one-get-one-free drinks nationwide for a day.

On the Table at Shanghai Mayor Meet: AI, Sports, Tourism

Global executives advised the city to lead AI deployment, develop into a global sports capital, and emphasize Shanghai cultural features like jazz and Art Deco over sites when promoting tourism.

China Drafts Landmark Gig Worker Labor Rights Rules

The policy would require platforms and their partners to sign labor contracts or agreements with their employees and improve algorithmic oversight.

He Qitong

In China’s Universities, Students Are Majoring in Second Chances

Chinese universities are increasingly relaxing their policies to give students a chance to undo majors chosen under the constraints of entrance exam scores, parental advice, and decisions made at 18.

Mao Rui

Two Chinese Books Shortlisted for US National Translation Awards

This week’s shortlist announcement included two works of prose originally written in Chinese. A separate Chinese anthology was also longlisted for the poetry prize last month.

China’s DeepZang AI Aims to Improve Tibetan Translation

Released in March, the model, which can convert speech and writing between Tibetan, Mandarin Chinese, and English, will undergo a series of linguistic upgrades.

Jiang Xinyi

The New Upgrade for Concert Fans in China: Rent More Zoom

Fans are renting flagship camera phones with telephoto lenses for clearer shots from distant seats, as ecommerce platforms market them as “concert essentials.”

China’s Golden Week Crowds Reach Smaller Cities and Counties

In Qinghai’s Qilian County, full hotels prompted officials to house nearly 500 travelers in school dormitories.