podcast

He Wrote the Book on Rural China. But First, He Wrote a Novel.

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

VOICES & OPINION

Shortly before publishing his groundbreaking 1939 study of rural China, sociologist Fei Xiaotong wrote a novel about life in his hometown. What can it tell us about his later work?

Sun Jing

Faraway Family Members Use Smart Cameras to Monitor the Elderly

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

While some users say the device helps them to keep an eye on older family members, others are doubtful about the technology and concerned about privacy issues.

Ye Zhanhang

Hong Kong’s ‘Daigou’ Trade Is Back. But This Time, It Has Reversed.

For years, Chinese “daigou” made money by bringing hard-to-find luxury products from Hong Kong to the mainland. Now, as the city’s borders reopen, they are ferrying goods in the other direction.

Wu Peiyue

China’s First Deaf Lawyer Beat The Odds. Now, She’s Giving Back.

There still isn’t a system in place for Tan Ting to argue in court so she works on spreading legal awareness among the deaf. In China, that’s equally important.

Meet the Editor Pushing to Turn the Page on Women’s Literature

For Ren Fei, publishing books about, for, and by women is more an instinctive act rather than a deliberate one.

Yang Caini

After Yet Another Liu Cixin Adaptation, What’s Next for Chinese Sci-Fi?

Liu’s signature brand of “hard sci-fi” continues to dominate, but a new generation of authors is putting a more traditional spin on the genre.

Emily Xueni Jin

The Grown-Up Lives of China’s ‘Bad Kids’

Excluded and stigmatized, some young migrants look for fun and recognition off campus.

Xiang Xin

China’s Booming New Toy Market: Hyperrealistic ‘Military Lego’

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

Lego has found huge success in recent years by tapping into popular movie franchises like “Star Wars.” Its Chinese rivals are turning to a very different source of inspiration: the People’s Liberation Army.

Zhang Liting

Looking for Love in China? Get Into Esports.

China has seen a steep decline in the number of young people willing to get married in recent years. But one surprising group bucks the trend: esports fans.

Fan Yiying

Fan Shuying

The Hunt for China’s Ugliest Building

For 13 years, the “China’s Ugliest Buildings” poll has documented the misfires and gambles that defined the country’s urban building spree. What can the results teach us about taste in architecture?

You Xudong

China’s Downturn Fuels a Worrying New Trend: a Surge in Foreclosures

Home repossessions have more than tripled in China since 2019, leaving families in dire situations.

Chang Minxiao

The All-Too Complicated History of Simplified Chinese

Often portrayed as the result of a revolutionary pro-literacy movement, many “simplified” characters have existed for hundreds of years.

Liu Yuli

Young Chinese Are Still Seeking Serenity — Now Through Digital Fish

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

The country’s latest viral app is a wooden fish simulator.

In China, a New Generation of Climate Activists Suddenly Emerges

Young Chinese are increasingly moving into environmental campaigning — a reaction to the growing impact of global warming on China, but also the shrinking space for feminist and labor rights groups.

Yuan Ye

Love, Death, and Ghosts in the Chinese Underworld

Can a ghost fall in love? For China’s greatest spinners of scary tales, they might have been the only ones who truly could.

Fu Mengxing

Shanghai’s Forgotten Children

When a deadly famine struck China in the early 1960s, the city evacuated thousands of children to remote herding communities in Inner Mongolia. Six decades later, they’re still there.

Li Yijuan

Ni Dandan

‘Consumption Downgrade’: Buffets in China Enjoy a Revival 

Diners are ready for all-you-can-eat deals as they seek more for their money.

Luo Meihan

What Happens When Women Are the Breadwinners?

Better educated and professionally successful, rising numbers of middle-class women are flipping the script on traditional gender and marital norms.

Pei Yuxin

On China’s Job Platforms, a Furious Struggle Over Sexual Harassment

China’s women are waging a determined campaign to get sexual predators blacklisted from major job sites. But the growing restrictions on feminist discourse present enormous obstacles.

Lars Hamer

In a Rural Chinese County, Progress Is Measured by the Worm

China’s upcoming National Party Congress will be dominated by talk of grand narratives, strategies, and slogans. But in Wubu County, locals are focused on more down-to-earth matters.