family

A Chinese City Offers Free High School Tuition for Third Child

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

Weifang hopes the policy will encourage couples to have more children, while critics say it risks creating inequality.

Li Xin

China’s Maternity Hotels Offer New Moms a Break — From Their In-Laws

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

Maternity hotels have found success by tapping into the Chinese tradition for mothers to “sit the month” after giving birth. But they also offer young moms another benefit: an escape from unwanted parenting advice.

Wang Lianzhang

In IVF Mix-Up, Anhui Couple was Given the Wrong Embryo

A court ordered the hospital in question to take full responsibility, pay family compensation.

Ye Zhanhang

Waiting for Wealth: China’s Gen Z Wants Careers Before Children

A new survey also found that pain during childbirth and the lack of parenting skills were among the major reasons young Chinese cited to avoid having children.

As Birth Rate Falls, Sichuan Lets the Unmarried Register as Parents

Officials say the policy shift will ensure that unmarried individuals can enjoy maternal and child care services.

Luo Meihan

After ‘Zero-COVID,’ China’s Families Face a Lunar New Year Dilemma

For the first time in years, people across China are free to return to their rural hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday. Many fear they’ll bring COVID-19 with them.

Ni Dandan

Li Wei

Shenzhen Offers $2,800 Subsidy for Couples Having Third Child

Chinese cities are coming up with lucrative measures for childbirth as the country faces a demographic crisis.

The Desire for Twins Is Putting China’s Mothers in Danger

Many Chinese couples long to give birth to twins, and seek out assisted reproduction clinics willing to help them do so. But multiple pregnancies can bring serious health risks — and force mothers to make heartbreaking choices.

After Losing Her Son to a Chicago Shooting, She Tries to Move On

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

SIXTH TONE ×

“Whenever I saw something about a shooting, I’d lose sleep,” said Li Rong, who later lost her own son in a shooting in Chicago.

The Paper

For China’s Mothers, Preterm Births Bring Shame and Trauma

Premature births are a traumatic event for parents around the world. But the pain is magnified in China, where new mothers often struggle to access the support they need.

Chinese City Announces Maternity Insurance for Unmarried Mothers 

Experts have hailed the first-of-its-kind policy as progress.

Yang Caini

A Vietnamese Bride’s Chinese Dream

For Vietnamese brides, cross-border marriages are like a lucky draw: some good, some not.

Investigation 107

‘Marriage? Whatever’: Young Chinese on Love, Life, and Family

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

MULTIMEDIA

Luo Yahan

Lü Xiao

Xie Anran

At Home and at Work, China’s Weaning Moms Face a Bottleneck

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

VOICES & OPINION

Just because Chinese society expects moms to breastfeed their babies, doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Liu Xinyu

Thai School: For These Chinese Moms, the Future Is Foreign

Options abroad solve some problems but sometimes, create new ones.

In China, Social Media Is Fueling Dangerous Beauty Trends — for Babies

Many Chinese parents believe it’s their duty to ensure their children conform to traditional beauty standards. That’s driving the rise of troubling — and, in some cases, potentially life-threatening — infant beauty products.

Jiang Xinyi

In China’s Hinterlands, Young Women Can’t Find a Man. Literally.

China often blames the country’s plunging marriage rate on women choosing to stay single. But the word “choose” can be misleading in a country where the urban-rural divide is also turning into a male-female divide.

Fan Yiying

Gu Peng

Amid Pro-Birth Blitz, China Pledges Benefits for Single Moms

Single women have complained for years about local policies requiring they show proof of marriage before they can access maternity benefits.

China Is Pushing for a Baby Boom. It’s Getting a Baby Bust.

After China’s birth rate plunged to a record low last year, authorities introduced a slew of measures to encourage couples to have more kids. They haven’t worked.

China’s Moms Are Banding Together and Speaking Out

“Mom groups” aren’t just about motherhood anymore.