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

How a Rare Bird Stopped a Highway Project in South China

The road was planned to cut through a critical spoon-billed sandpiper habitat. By first organizing online, and then taking action offline, amateur activists halted its construction.

Jiang Xinyi

Yang Yang

Shenzhen Lets Homeowners Call the Shots on Redevelopment

Faced with needing to raise investments for demolition and construction, cities like Shenzhen have begun exploring ways for homeowners to redesign aging structures themselves.

He Qitong

He Quit Baidu. But First He Had to Build an AI Version of Himself.

As Chinese firms expand internal AI systems, some employees are being asked to build digital versions of themselves before leaving their jobs.

China to Phase Out Old Power Rates in Green Push

For decades, the country has relied on a system that charges higher electricity prices in the day, and lower prices at night. With the rise of solar and wind power, that’s now changing.

Li Xin

China Tightens Online Pharmacy Rules on AI Use and Prescriptions

The country aims to curb abuses in obtaining prescription medication online — a practice that has become easier with the rise of pharmaceutical e-commerce platforms.

Fan Yiying

AI Hallucinates Flight Refund, Sparking Memes in China

A chat log in which an AI assistant confidently presented a user with numerous inaccuracies has inspired a wave of AI hallucination spoofs, a growing trend in the country.

82 Dead, 128 Injured in Shanxi Mine Explosion

Domestic media reported that inaccuracies in tunnel maps, as well as a lack of personnel locators, impacted rescue efforts.

Chen Yiru

China’s Top Phone Companies Launch Packages Covering AI Use

The plans offer millions of AI tokens per person for a fixed monthly price. Insiders say the packages’ main customers are government entities and state-owned enterprises.

Chinese Swimming Star in Hot Water Over Reality Show Conduct

Citing arguments with his wife and conflict with other cast members, netizens likened the Olympic swimmer to a toddler and called him a “mama’s boy.”

Ancient Teeth Link Chinese Hominins to Modern Humans

A team of researchers used a new, minimally invasive technique to sample the teeth from six Homo erectus fossils, establishing a framework for future evolutionary research on ancient fossils.