arts

The MingKwai Experiment: Typing Chinese Before Computers

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

VOICES & OPINION

Unveiled in 1947, the MingKwai typewriter was the product of a Chinese novelist’s yearslong obsession to build a machine that tackled the problem of typing Chinese decades before personal computers arrived.

Liu Yuli

Work of Art: The Cost of Keeping a Private Museum Open in China

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

As funding tightens, private art museums across the country are closing, shrinking, or reworking their models to survive.

He Qitong

Her Eye, Her Era, Her Archive: Xiao Zhuang, One of China’s First Female Photojournalists, Dies at 93

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

MULTIMEDIA

Beginning as a young army photographer, Xiao’s eye for everyday human moments led her to document the rise of a nation.

Sixth Tone

Why Cai Guoqiang’s Lofty Ambitions Should Come Back Down to Earth

Cai Guoqiang is internationally recognized for his explosive works that emerged during the golden age of globalization. However, when his latest work was met with widespread controversy, it revealed how out of step he is with today’s China.

Yang Yunchang

Lens and the Loss: How a Chinese Photographer Turned Grief Into Art

Photographer Niu Tong’s Leica-shortlisted project on China’s delivery workers began with his mother’s job and became both a portrait of working life and a tribute to her final months with cancer.

Wu Huiyuan 

The Architect Saving China’s ‘Ugly’ Buildings, One Photo at a Time

For two years, Liu Yujia has crossed China on foot and by bike, photographing the tiled towers, tinted-glass hotels, and industrial relics of a disappearing urban era, once often dismissed as “ugly.”

Chen Yiru

The Hidden History of Suzhou Prints

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

Q & A

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

In China’s ‘Land of Wilderness,’ a Human Centipede Proves Too Wild

The artwork, along with several others, had been part of a popular art park in the scenic town of Lijiang, Yunnan province, but drew controversy in the past week.

Massive Fireworks Display on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Backfires

The fireworks, designed by artist Cai Guoqiang and commissioned by outdoor brand Arc’teryx, caused outrage over environmental concerns, prompting apologies and an official investigation.

Jiang Xinyi

The Factory Workers Who Helped Build a Nation

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

SIXTH TONE ×

A photographer strives to protect the memory of China’s Third Front Movement and the families who dedicated their lives to it.

Jiemian News

Qin Dynasty Rock Carving in Remote Qinghai Verified as Authentic

Disputed since it was discovered in 2020, the stone carving has now been authenticated as 2,200 years old, making it the only Qin-era inscription preserved in its original location.

Fan Yiying

In the Clouds: Weather Blogger Shines With Sunglow Forecasts

An amateur meteorologist with a knack for predicting exquisite sunsets says his fans’ passion for weather photography is helping him “escape” life on the construction sites.

White Night Workshop

How a Plump Cartoon Seal Became a Love and Life Guru

Seal, the alter-ego of comic artist Wang XX, is helping fans — especially women — navigate work, love, consent, and what it means to practice “sealf-care.”

Ding Yining

A Memory of Loss: ‘Could Grandma Hear My Cries?’

In tribute to her grandparents, artist Wu Wei explores in her work the anguish of loss and the joy of remembrance.

Wu Wei

Towering History: A Photographer’s Fresh Take on China’s Pagodas

Photographer Lin Shu seeks the quiet magic within China’s humble pagodas, capturing their enduring spirit across a changing landscape.

Qian Yi  

Wu Huiyuan

The Chinese Architect Who Brought Art Deco to Shanghai

Art Deco made its way from Paris to Shanghai in the 1920s, and forever changed the city.

Huang Wei

“No”: The Magic Word in a Viral Chinese AI Remake of Snow White

A dark AI‑crafted retelling of the Disney classic by Beijing-based screenwriter Wen Jing has captivated millions on social media, sparking debate over women’s roles in fairy tales and modern society.

The Art of Reviving an Abandoned Chinese Village — With Stray Cats

Back in the village he once left behind, an artist turned abandoned homes into a sanctuary for more than 200 cats — and watched it become a magnet for strays, artists, and thousands of tourists.

Playback: Reliving the Wild Days of Beijing Indie Music

A French photographer’s new book provides an intimate look at some of the performers who rocked the Chinese capital in the early 2000s.

Wang Juyi

The Chinese Neuroscientists Mapping Feelings Through Art

At Tsinghua University’s Neural Engineering Lab, researchers are using brain-computer interfaces to study how people respond to live art.