arts

Rhythm of Life: The 93-Year-Old Chinatown Queen Who Couldn't Stop Dancing

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

The director of “Chinatown Cha-Cha,” a documentary about a troupe of elderly Asian American dancers, shares her insights into the life of its star, Coby Yee.

The Paper

Writing on the Wall: The Bold, Blocky Print That Scripted Socialism

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

VOICES & OPINION

Spread via handbooks and murals, the blocky, easily legible ‘meishuzi’ characters of the 1950s and ’60s gave Chinese socialism its visual language.

Liu Yuli

Copy Right: The Painstaking Method and Magic of Mastering a Replica

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

Across the country, museums are commissioning recreations of ancient artifacts. But beyond simple replicas, these efforts aim to revive the techniques and craftsmanship that shaped China’s cultural legacy.

Wu Haiyun

Patching the Sky: An Artist Finds Harmony in Torn Cloth

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

MULTIMEDIA

Contemporary artist Yin Xiuzhen urges viewers to “break through their shackles” with her solo show in Shanghai.

Ding Yining

The Poet Changing China’s View of Disability — Through Dance

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

Yu Xiuhua became a sensation with her raunchy poetry that redefined Chinese perceptions of disability. Now, she’s taking her art a step further.

Jiang Xinyi

In China, a Debate Over What Makes Calligraphy ‘Good’

Tian Yingzhang may have been contemporary China’s best-known calligrapher. But was he any good?

Wang Keda

A Forgotten Book Gets a Fresh Look

Henri Doré spent his life collecting examples of Chinese folk art. Written off by many of his contemporaries, that collection has become an important window into the country’s past.

Zhang Xiaoyi

Pointing Fingers: Exhibition Zooms In on Student Stress

A young photographer has focused her lens on the “writer’s callus” to reflect the realities of life for Chinese school students.

White Night Workshop

Amid Mixed Reviews, China’s Box Office Tops 1 Billion Yuan

With nearly 10 films in theaters, China’s National Day holiday box office is off to a strong start but experts question long term prospects.

He Qitong

Journey of Ink: How Chinese Art Built a French Museum

The director of the Musée Cernuschi shares the story behind its Shanghai exhibition of Chinese paintings — and the man at the heart of the collection.

Nostalgia in the City: Shanghai in the Booming ’90s 

Shanghai in the 1990s is the subject of much nostalgic yearning. A new photography exhibition transports viewers back to this consequential period of the city’s — and country’s — history.

Wu Dong

The General’s Tomb

What can a 3,000-year-old grave tell us about life during the Shang Dynasty?

Sixth Tone

Moonlight Legends: The Rabbits at the Center of Mid-Autumn Festival

Since ancient times, paper decorations depicting the moon-walking Jade Rabbit, as well as figurines of the Rabbit God, have been key components of this traditional Chinese holiday.

Sheng Wenqiang

In Shanghai’s Prisons, Inmates Find Solace and Skill in Textile Art

In Shanghai’s Nanhui Prison, an unusual tapestry embroidery program offers inmates new skills, improves mental health, and provides a path to rehabilitation.

Fan Yiying

Dong Ziqing

Giving Ancient Pottery a Modern Glow-Up

Can China’s museums find a better way to spotlight some of their most delicate holdings?

Social Class: Art Professor’s Bite-size Videos Click With Netizens

A Tsinghua University academic has earned an online following for her one-minute clips that introduce complicated art and design concepts in plain language.

Beijing Youth Daily

Diversity in Unity: Exploring the Many ‘Bodies’ of Chinese Dance

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

Q & A

In her research, scholar Emily Wilcox explores the evolution of Chinese dance and the complex relationship between national identity and global influences.

Bringing the Struggles of China’s Migrant Women to Life

“The Life of Mulan,” an immersive drama that finished a nationwide tour in June, sought to force audiences to think like a migrant, for better or for worse.

Qi Lixia

Creative Chaos: The Chinese Students Pushing the Limits of Art

Pink performance, model noses, and a wholesale “home” — experimental art students at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts embrace the unconventional in search of self-expression.

Oh! Youth (36Kr)

Stitching Masculinity: The Tailor’s Son Who Defied Gender Norms

As China’s societal norms evolve, Cantonese embroidery master Wang Xinyuan no longer feels the need to prove his masculinity and is eager to promote the traditional craft through social media.