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

VOICES & OPINION

voices-&-opinion

The Icon of Chinese Urbanism Everyone Loves to Hate 

Go almost anywhere in China and you’ll see street after street of garish, bright-red signs. They’re widely derided as ugly and mass-produced, so why can’t cities get rid of them?

Cai Yineng

In China, a Sharp Divide Between Journalism and the Ivory Tower

A controversy about authorship of an influential magazine article has highlighted the difficulties faced by journalists and academics when they try to work together.

Joanne Kuai

Drawing From Bronze

How ancient bronzeware inspired two hit Chinese film series.

Jin Fangting

Wong Kar-wai’s Unlikely Career Renaissance

At a time when many of his contemporaries are flailing, the king of ’90s arthouse cinema is making a comeback.

Gui Lin

Want Kids to Stay in School? Let Them Keep Their Phones.

Phone confiscations are playing a surprisingly big role in rural China’s drop-out problem.

Shen Hui

Three Ways to Become a Taoist Deity

Just because there are many ways to enter the Taoist pantheon doesn’t make it easy.

Zhu Yiwen

How Protection Orders Became a Thorny Legal Issue in China

A decade after the passage of a landmark Anti-Domestic Violence Law, Chinese judges remain divided about how best to protect survivors of abuse.

He  Xin

Who’s Profiting Off China’s Ultrashort Drama Boom?

Ultrashort earnings eclipsed China’s box office for the first time in 2024, but producers aren’t celebrating.

Lo La

China’s Virtual Streamers Get a Reality Check

The popular streaming platform Bilibili wanted to grow its stable of VTubers. Instead, it threw the industry into chaos.

Gong Xin

How Liu Jiakun Became the Envy of Chinese Architects

The Pritzker Prize winner has always gone his own way.