education

Instead of Theses, Chinese Students Submit Fertilizers, Novels

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

Over the last year, at least 59 top Chinese universities have revised degree requirements to let students submit practical or creative projects.

Chen Yiru

Deep-Sea Water to Microchips, China Curbs Flashy Admission Packages

Universities spent years competing with increasingly elaborate welcome packets featuring everything from microchips to deep-sea water. Now regulators are urging schools to return to a simple one-page letter.

He Qitong

Marrying at This Chinese University Comes With a Diamond Ring

The Harbin Institute of Technology has put on an annual wedding for doctoral students and their partner for over a decade. In recent years, participants have received lab-grown diamond rings.

Fan Yiying

Li Rongxuan

Boy in the Frame: The Chinese Filmmaker Who Captured Luigi Mangione

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

SIXTH TONE ×

A documentary director who set out to explore the lives of Chinese and American teens revisits unreleased footage of the murder suspect when he was 16.

Fir  Record

Should Optimus Prime Be Insured? Ask China’s ‘Bottom Journals’

China’s parody journals are turning failed experiments, revision fatigue, and academic anxiety into comedy — and finding an audience.

Jiang Xinyi

Yang Yang

Girls Help Girls: Top Students Can Lift Peers, Chinese Study Finds

A new study shows that female top-ranked students can serve as significant role models in narrowing gender-based education gaps.

China’s Tech Giants Are Recruiting High Schoolers

Citing insufficient talent in universities, tech companies are increasingly seeking out high schoolers to fulfill research and internship roles.

The Chinese Deep-Sea Explorer Unlocking Science in Short Dramas

Hard science has taken Tang Limei to the coldest parts of the planet. Pop science is taking her to the hot list.

Jiefang Daily

Are China’s 8-Person University Dorm Rooms on Their Way Out?

Heilongjiang is the latest province to begin phasing out the living quarters, as the nation seeks to upgrade its student housing and eliminate crowding and dormitory shortages.

The Quiet Pressure of School Guard Duty in China

China’s school gate has become the front line of a quiet war over where the school’s responsibilities end and the family’s begin.

The Paper

Chinese Regions Ease Weight of Biology and Geography on Zhongkao

As China seeks to curb student pressure, multiple regions have announced that the two subjects will no longer count toward students’ total scores on the notoriously competitive high school entrance exam.

China’s First ‘Barbecue University’ Opens for Enrollment

The college’s establishment comes amid a greater national emphasis on vocational education and alternative career routes.

Chinese University Cuts Arts Majors, Citing an AI-Driven Future

An explanation from the university’s top official led to debate on social media. But students say they’re not surprised by the cancellation.

China Mandates 15-minute Breaks Between School Classes

The new policy comes amid concerns that existing breaks were not long enough for students’ health.

In National First, China Founds ‘School of Space Exploration’

The institution, envisioned roughly 70 years ago, will bring together scientists from multiple fields to advise the country’s next generation of aerospace scientists.

Work It Out: Why More Chinese Students Pick Skills Over Degrees

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

As families across China calculate cost, time, and job prospects, vocational colleges are becoming a deliberate choice rather than a fallback.

Chen Xiashiyu

The Shanghai School Opening Hearts and Minds on Autism

At Shanghai’s Aihao Center, parents and teachers are equipping autistic children with the skills they need to thrive in society.

A New Leaf: China’s First Autumn Break Triggers Travel Boom

This fall, multiple provinces have rolled out updated academic calendars to accommodate new holiday policies and local weather conditions, in the hope of encouraging family time and economic consumption.

Li Xin

(Not) Old Enough! Chinese Kids’ Apps Under Fire for Explicit Ads

BabyBus, one of the nation’s largest educational app platforms, has been criticized by parents after their children witnessed violent and erotic ads on several of its apps.

Fast Track: Chinese Cities Pilot Skipping High School Entrance Exam

A pilot program in Chengdu exempts some students from the grueling high school entrance exam, offering families relief from mounting academic pressure.