environment

Beyond The Frame: How a Pioneer Set Her Sights on Yunnan’s Birds

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

Over her decadeslong career, Wang Ying has come to be known for her fearless pursuit of subjects, particularly Yunnan’s unique birdlife. Now 63, she has no intention of stopping.

Li Pasha

In China, Climate Change Disrupts a Beloved Tradition: Cherry Blossom Season

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

MULTIMEDIA

Cherry blossoms are reaching peak bloom weeks earlier than they did a few decades ago, as winter temperatures continue to rise.

The Paper

As They Swim, Fly, and Crawl In, China Wakes Up to Invasive Threat

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

VOICES & OPINION

While the exact number of invasive species across the country is still undetermined, scientists have only recently started to estimate the havoc they have wreaked to ecosystems.

Chinese Rice Farming Trials Cut Methane Emissions

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Techniques that use less water, produce more rice and emit less methane are gaining traction in China.

China Dialogue

Yet Again, Poyang Lake’s Water Level Falls to Record Lows

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 scant rain predicted in February, China’s largest freshwater lake may have to endure an ‘extremely dry’ period.

Luo Meihan

How Has the Ramsar Convention Shaped China’s Wetland Protection?

China has an impressive track record of wetland protection since joining Ramsar in 1992, but economic development still poses several challenges.

Fishing for Likes With China’s ‘Fish Tail Guy’

Boat pilot captures the imagination with photos of colorful research specimens caught around the world.

Poyang Lake: Life Under Climate Whiplash

In 2020, communities living around China’s largest freshwater lake were hit by devastating floods. This year, they have faced a record drought.

Wu Huiyuan 

The Biggest Threat to Beijing’s Biodiversity? Trees.

Beijing has launched a massive campaign to transform the capital’s flatlands into forest. But the tree-planting drive could be devastating for local wildlife, scientists say.

Is Mandatory Garbage Sorting Working in China?

Three years after Shanghai imposed mandatory sorting of household waste, we review the policy and ask what’s yet to come.

In Southwest China, Dozens of Unique Species Have Quietly Gone Extinct

The lakes of Yunnan province were once teeming with endemic species of fish and other freshwater wildlife. But their unique biodiversity is rapidly being lost.

How China’s New Gold Rush Started a Race for Junk

There’s gold in your phone. But how much is recycling it really worth?

Neweekly Lifestyle

The River That Birthed an Empire: How the Han River Shaped Ancient and Modern China

The Han River inspired the rise of the Han Dynasty and Taoism in the past, and keeps northern China hydrated today.

Yuan Ling

What You Missed at the World’s Biggest Climate Conference

COP27 produced a groundbreaking agreement on a “loss and damage” fund. It also marked China’s return to significant in-person engagement on climate issues after years of pandemic-related disruptions.

Wu Yixiu

How China’s ESG Policy Is Progressing

The Chinese ESG market still enjoys considerable room for growth, and top-down policies remain the most important force driving development of the sector.

Caixin Global

The Old Man and the Yellow Sea

For 39 years, Jiang Wenkai has been stationed on a tiny island in the Yellow Sea, tasked with keeping a life-saving weather station online.

Beijing City Preparing Businesses for Carbon Market Expansion

The city has asked some non-power companies to start reporting their emissions, but no new sectors have yet been added to the national carbon market.

A Japanese Man’s 30-Year Quest to Green a Chinese Desert

Working with locals, Takami Kunio helped plant more than 19 million trees across the Loess Plateau.

In China, a New Generation of Climate Activists Suddenly Emerges

Young Chinese are increasingly moving into environmental campaigning — a reaction to the growing impact of global warming on China, but also the shrinking space for feminist and labor rights groups.

Yuan Ye

At Ramsar COP14, China Pledges to Expand and Protect Wetlands  

Half of the country’s coastal wetlands have been lost to reclamation over the past four decades.