Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

q-&-a

China Before the Infinite Camera Roll

Thomas Sauvin’s archive of discarded family negatives captures an era when 36 photos could document years of birthdays, travel, and everyday life.

Cai Yineng

The Forgotten Legacy of China’s Greatest Explorer

Zheng He’s epic voyages across Asia and Africa are often dismissed as a historical curiosity. The truth is far more interesting, says scholar Zou Zhenhuan.

Wu Haiyun

A Yunnan Lake, Three Generations, and the Director in Between

Sixth Tone sits down with the director for an interview about how his life, and in particular, his relationship with his grandfather, helped shape the internationally acclaimed film.

Chen Yiru

6 Lives, 3 Years, and a Long Look at China’s Short-Video Era

Filmed over three years, “Nobody, But Somebody” follows young Chinese living outside the spotlight, capturing what it means to keep going in the face of uncertainty.

Jiang Xinyi

Seeking the Gold Standard for a New ‘Golden Rule’ of Global Ethics

In 1993, philosophical and religious thinkers around the world convened to find a moral common ground for humanity. Now, in an increasingly fragmented world, Chinese philosophers are seeking a new way for nations to coexist.

Zhang Bo

How Inherited Time Impacts the Lives of Young Chinese

Through her research, the sociologist Xu Lingling has discovered how those from rural and lower-class backgrounds are at a disadvantage for getting ahead — because of how much more time it takes them to catch up.

The Hidden History of Suzhou Prints

In Qing-era Suzhou, color prints were a popular and affordable art form for everyday people. As such, they have long lacked the recognition they deserve.

Zheng Haiyao

The Historian Showing How Trade Shaped China’s Ties to the World

From silk and porcelain to cotton and tea, Li Bozhong traces how centuries of exchange bound China to global markets long before modern globalization.

The Literature Professor Reframing China Narratives

Since the 1990s, Professor He Guimei has been researching constructions of China across contemporary literature. In her latest book, she challenges the way narratives frame “Chineseness” itself.

The Scholars Helping to Keep WWII Sex Slavery From Being Forgotten

Ahead of this year’s International Memorial Day for Comfort Women, Sixth Tone sat down with Su Zhiliang to learn more about the system behind the wartime atrocity — and the future of its research as the number of surviving victims dwindles.