entrepreneurship

Are Chinese Successors Ready to Take Over the Family Business?

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

VOICES & OPINION

China’s family-owned small enterprises are entering a critical succession stage that could shake up the country’s massive private enterprise sector. But what does the next generation have to say about taking over the family business?

Ji Yingying

Treated With Dignity: The Nurses Taking Care to Homebound Patients

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

SIXTH TONE ×

A look at the life of a Beijing health care professional who travels 200 kilometers a day helping elderly and disabled patients.

The  Beijing News

Hats Off: A Chinese Cap Maker Rides the MAGA Wave

An entrepreneur in eastern China won big selling “Make America Great Again” hats in the U.S. — then came Trump’s tariffs.

Jiang Yifan

As Below, So Above: Gen Z Updates China’s ‘Ghost Money’ Ritual

Smartphones, games consoles, sports cars — a papercraft master reveals the modern ways his young clients are honoring dead friends and family.

White Night Workshop

Last Word: Closing the Book on China’s Slang Gang

The idealistic team behind Jikipedia, an online dictionary of Chinese internet slang, shares the highs and lows of creating a pop culture phenomenon.

BIE  (biede)

The Competitions Shaping China’s Startup Scene

Designed to promote startup culture, state-run entrepreneurship competitions don’t always select the winners you might expect.

Olivia Yijian Liu

Fighting ALS: Former JD.com VP in Race Against Time

Cai Lei, the former vice president of e-commerce giant JD.com, has strived to raise awareness and funding to support research into treating the fatal disease.

Shanghai Observer

In China, Live Music Gigs Are Sparking a Street Stall Renaissance

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

With live events in China on the rise again, makeshift stalls outside venues are growing more popular. Recognizing the trend, local governments are now easing regulations to support them.

Zhu Junxi

Bridal Fashion Capital: How Chaozhou Holds Its Place in the Spotlight

Chaozhou, once the world’s bridal gown-making hub, is resorting to legacy, adaptability, and originality as it grapples with challenges ranging from a shifting market to the pandemic.

The Paper

‘Please Be Careful’: How an American Revitalized a Yunnannese Villa

American entrepreneur Brian Linden recounts his experience of turning a historical site in Yunnan into a hotel and education center.

Brian Linden

Ousted Luckin Founder Charts Comeback With New Coffee Business

Lu Zhengyao is once again back in the coffee market after being removed following an accounting scandal.

Ye Zhanhang

‘The Metaverse Is the Future,’ Chinese Tech Insiders Say 

Industry bigwigs see echoes between the metaverse and the early proliferation of mobile internet and smartphones in China.

Li Xin

Zhejiang Wants Entrepreneurs, But It’s Not Desperate

It won’t pay your debts if you fail, whatever you read online.

Wu Peiyue

For Your Size Only: The Little Livestream Making it Big

As online shops selling plus-sized clothes gain momentum across China, they increasingly function like virtual alliances for women.

Miah Wang

Despite Some Stumbles, China’s Once-Popular Skating Rinks Roll On

Like karaoke parlors and internet cafés, skating rinks have had to transform themselves since their ‘90s heyday.

Youxun Road Sparkles

Shanghai Has a Hole-in-the-Wall Café Run by Disabled, Bear-Clawed Baristas

The owners of the “bear-claw café,” as it’s popularly known, say they wanted to help people with disabilities and limited job prospects.

Cai Xuejiao

Chen Qi’an

China’s Copy-Paste Pups

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

Falling cost of cloning gives more Chinese dogs a second life on a leash.

Fan Yiying

The Chinese Crypto Mogul Paying Millions To Woo Warren Buffett

Justin Sun says he is spending over $4 million for a chance to convince the influential billionaire that cryptocurrencies matter.

Liang Chenyu

The Startup Accelerator Helping Foreign Businesses Take On China

Shanghai’s XNode is providing local insights to entrepreneurs looking to break into the valuable Chinese market.

Gao Qianhui

Where Watchful Eyes Are Welcome

Young Egyptians take up livestreaming as Chinese companies blaze a digital trail through the Arab world.