cross-border

Street Angels: Meet the Women Who Became China’s First Pop Stars

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

VOICES & OPINION

Originally dismissed as lightweights, the women of Shanghai’s jazz age remade both the sound and the image of modern China.

Cai Yiwen

The Chinese Families Choosing an African Education

For some, it’s a path to a more global life for their kids.

An Ning

A Love Letter to Overseas Chinese Moms

Or, how I learned to make peace with raising a mostly monolingual kid.

Zhou Shuxuan

Canton to the Desert: How Mexicali Preserved the Soul of Chinese-Mexican Fusion

A Chinese chef takes a trip through the unique flavors of a Mexican border state.

Yu Chenfeng

Digging Deep Into China’s Zimbabwean Tobacco Business

Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry turnaround is sometimes portrayed as a triumph of Chinese influence. The truth is more complicated.

Chen Xiang

A New Perspective on Southeast Asia’s Hmong

The anthropologist Shi Tian has spent decades trying to give the Hmong a voice on the global stage.

Cai Yineng

Twilight on the Mekong

Chinese cargo shippers once dominated Southeast Asia’s rivers. Can they find their way back?

Chen Xiaoxu

Taking Stock of Love and Losses in the ‘World’s Supermarket’

Transnational marriages can be an asset in a place like Yiwu, a major global trading hub. But if they break down, it's often the wives who pay the price.

Wen Meizhen

In Laos, a New Railway Signals a Future in China’s Orbit

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

In Laos, a new $6 billion rail line is driving rapid social and economic changes — and bringing China ever closer.

Sixth Tone

On the China-Laos Border, a Cautionary Tale of Hot Money and Wild Dreams

Chinese investors have poured money into the small Lao town of Boten, believing a new railway would bring massive growth. But the hoped-for boom has yet to arrive.

To Rescue Its Devastated Tourism Sector, Laos Looks to China

Emerging from a pandemic-induced slump, Laos is leaning on a multi-billion dollar railway to revitalize tourism. A significant portion of its recovery blueprint hinges on drawing more visitors from China.

In a Post-COVID Laos, China’s Influence Grows Ever Larger

A new $5.5 billion railway is bringing a flood of Chinese investment to the Lao capital of Vientiane. After COVID-19, it’s desperately needed.

The Fujian Way: How One Chinese Region Became a Dominant Force in Africa

For decades, a network of entrepreneurs from China’s rough-and-tumble southern coastline have been quietly expanding their presence in Africa. Now, they’re driving a new wave of investment on the continent.

Li Yijuan

Bordering on Recovery: Life on China’s Vietnamese Frontier 

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

MULTIMEDIA

Fu Beimeng

Wu Huiyuan 

China’s ‘Parachute Generation’ Grows Up

Prior to the pandemic, tens of thousands of Chinese kids left home every year to attend high school in the United States. Was it worth it?

Tu Siqi

Russia Hoped for a Chinese Tourist Boom in 2023. It’s Still Waiting.

In Russia, many believed that China’s exit from “zero-COVID” restrictions would provide a shot in the arm to the country’s flatlining inbound tourism sector. Those hopes are now fading.

Li Pasha

How China’s Silk Road Ambitions Are Reshaping the World of Archaeology

Until a decade ago, Chinese archaeologists had never conducted major excavations overseas. Now, as China pours funding into Silk Road research, they are quietly transforming our understanding of the ancient world.

Wu Haiyun

Bordering on Recovery: Life on China’s Russian Frontier

Xue Haolin

Lü Xiao

Hong Kong-Shenzhen Border: Back to Business, But Not as Usual

Three years of strict border restrictions disrupted the lives of thousands who depend on commuting between the two cities. More than a month after the border fully reopened, travel is still gradually returning to normal.