Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

Broad Tones

How China’s Deaf Delivery Riders Find a New Life in Gig Work

Algorithm-dominated work feels like oppression to many. But couriers with hearing disabilities feel like they finally get fair treatment.

Qian Linliang

Has China Fallen Out of Love With Love?

Facing mounting uncertainty, many young Chinese are asking if love is too much of a risk. As uncertainty deepens, many young Chinese are coming to see love less as destiny than as a risk to manage.

Liu Zixi

Inside the Linguistic and Cultural Rebellion of the ‘Mudan’

Once banished, the mudan’s iconoclastic nature has reigned supreme in the springtime, from its refusal to fit into neat linguistic categories to its enduring allure to this day.

Hugo Tseng

The Enthusiasm and Anxiety Behind China’s OpenClaw Craze

While plenty of Chinese AI users see the new technology as a tool for creativity and convenience, others use it just to not fall behind.

Zhan Beibei

Inside Shenzhen’s High-Tech Version of the Food Bank

China’s tech hub has developed a discreet, high-tech system where vulnerable residents can pick up free groceries. Now, it faces a tougher task: building a steadier pipeline of donations by giving companies more reason to participate.

Li Xueshi

The Earth Between Us

After the loss of her grandfather, Zhang Yashu struggled to process her grief. Then, swept up in the rush of ritual and family, she discovered how the physical customs of bidding a loved one farewell could be a powerful act of remembrance.

Zhang Yashu

The Quintessential Tea Missing From ‘Chinamaxxing’

Limitations in time and place mean China’s best tea can only be enjoyed in China.

Wang Huimin

How a Buddha Got Its Sight Back

A stone Buddha’s eyes are symbols of its religious power, but many have been lost over the years. Can collectors help them find their way home?

Jin Yu

In China’s Tech Industry, Success Is All About ‘Cognition’

The new buzzword explains why Chinese tech workers believe they have stayed ahead of layoffs and other turbulence — and why others have failed.

Zhou Zihuan

Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Chatbot Romances Reveal About Connection

When OpenAI announced that it would retire its ChatGPT model GPT-4o, it sent shockwaves across the internet and an outpouring of grief. Yet the real question is: What void was 4o filling to begin with?