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

VOICES & OPINION

BroadTones

When China’s Star Intellectuals Fly Too Close to the Sun

Chinese academics, writers, and journalists are expected to do everything. As the Zhuge Yiyang controversy shows, many wind up with nothing.

Cai Yineng

Can VR Capture the Power of China’s Ancient Caves?

At Dunhuang, new technologies are opening up the Mogao Grottoes while helping protect the fragile art that has survived there for more than a thousand years.

Chen Xi

Chinese Cinema Turns Its Lens Outward

“Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” is something new in China: a film about the outside world that treats its location as more than just a backdrop.

Wu Haiyun

Behind China’s Unlikely Box-Office Hit, Indie Filmmakers Struggle to Be Seen

The amateur-made “Niu Lai” found an audience against the odds. Thousands of other low-budget Chinese films never get the same chance.

After ‘Sleep No More,’ What’s Next for Chinese Immersive Theater?

China’s immersive productions have grown ever larger and more spectacular. Their next challenge is turning audience participation into genuine understanding.

Gu Xintong

Underground No More: China’s ‘History Fangirls’ Stand Up

One of China’s hottest idols is a 1,700-year-old emperor. Another is his dad. China’s “history fangirls” are chasing celebrities through bookstores and tomb complexes nationwide.

Xiong Zhiying

Tracing the Route of ‘Cathay’

In the Age of Discovery, European explorers set out to find the mythical land of “Cathay,” which they believed was separate from China. Yet even after learning the truth, the name has taken on a life of its own.

Hugo Tseng

What Happens When Chinese Dreamcore Meets the Real World?

Young Chinese are being sold a dream of a time before malls and chain restaurants.

Pan Zhixin

AI Can Draw Any Building. But Can It Imagine One?

A Chinese architect’s experiment with artificial intelligence reveals a future where machines handle execution, while human creativity becomes the profession’s most valuable skill.

Peter Guohua  Fu

Saving China’s Vanishing Fields of Knowledge

Researchers spend decades deciphering ancient texts and understanding bygone science. Now, their once-overlooked disciplines are becoming part of China’s national cultural strategy.