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A Rural Mother’s Unfiltered Rage Gives Chinese Comedy Its Edge

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

SIXTH TONE ×

By crafting punchlines from pain, breakout comedy star Fang Shaoli has tapped into the silent angst of many middle-aged Chinese women.

The  Beijing News

The Summers-Epstein Emails’ ‘Yellow Peril’ Problem

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

VOICES & OPINION

Harvard professor Larry Summers has been widely criticized for his extensive correspondence with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But the denigrating way he views Asian women hasn’t gotten enough attention.

Yang Fangxi

Raped by Her Boss, Then Fired: A Survivor’s Fight for Justice

After a landmark work-related injury ruling, a woman assaulted during a business trip has faced a lengthy legal battle to win compensation.

The Paper

Inside the Early Push to Revolutionize Marriage in China

In the 1950s, China’s fledgling government sought to upend centuries-old marriage practices and promote women’s rights. But what does it take to make a new culture of marriage the status quo?

Wu Jingjian

Shanghai Pilot Offers Grants to Help New Mothers Stay in Science

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

The city’s Chinese Academy of Sciences branch is offering one-time grants to new mothers in science, aiming to offset career setbacks from childbirth.

Chen Yiru

Standup Stands Out: The Comedian Leaning Into Her Grudges

Wang Dadao, who made a splash with jokes about everyday sexual harassment, shares the origins of her unorthodox comedy style and the struggles that keep her striving.

Oh! Youth (36Kr)

The Chinese Women Choosing Children Over Husbands

For some wealthy women, mothering is everything it's cracked up to be. Marriage isn’t.

Pei Yuxin

China Enacts Landmark Law to Safeguard Rural Women’s Land Rights

Effective May 1, the new national law gives married women equal standing in rural land rights and empowers prosecutors to challenge discriminatory village rules.

Jiang Xinyi

‘I Love Him’: A Suicide, a Student’s Diary, and a School’s Reckoning

A high school teacher’s alleged sexual assault of his student caused her years of depression and her eventual suicide.

Original (Jiefang Daily)

Balancing Act: Can ‘Mom Jobs’ Help China’s Women Have It All?

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

Flexible-hour jobs are allowing more mothers to juggle work and childcare, but with most positions in low-skilled sectors, there’s a risk of only reinforcing gender roles.

Fan Yiying

Yang  Yuchen

The Exhausting Lives of China’s ‘Mompreneurs’ 

They may seem to have it all, but even outwardly successful women shoulder an almost impossible workload.

Breaking Waves: A Female Engineer’s Journey Through Maritime Prejudice

Chen Yu, a female marine engineer in her 20s, is part of a small but growing contingent of women battling systemic gender discrimination while pursuing careers at sea.

White Night Workshop

China Probes Teacher Over Student’s Death, Abuse Allegations

The student’s family accused her former high school teacher of repeatedly sexually assaulting over the course of three years, starting when she was just 15.

Ding Rui

How a Green Snake Became a Feminist Symbol in China 

In early tellings of “Legend of the White Snake,” Green Snake was a sideshow. Now she’s the star.

Bai Huiyuan

Her Abuse Was a National Story. Now Her Husband Is Going to Prison.

He Zhongyang, whose violent assault last year left his wife hospitalized with permanent organ damage, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The UFC Knockout Kick That Stunned the World — And the Doctor Who Landed It

Shi Ming, a doctor from southwestern China, kept her MMA career a secret from colleagues and family. In November, a viral knockout made it impossible to hide any longer.

He Qitong

Beyond the Stigma: Chinese Single Mothers Redefining Family Success

Research shows children from single-mother households perform equally well as those from dual-parent families, debunking negative stereotypes.

The Sanitary Pad Scandal Causing Uproar on Chinese Social Media

A string of sanitary pad brands have admitted their products are often smaller than advertised — sparking fury among Chinese women.

The Female-Driven Comedy Being Hailed as China’s ‘Barbie’

“Her Story” has become a box office smash with its unabashed celebration of female empowerment.

In China, a New Paid Period Leave Policy Revives an Old Debate

A new initiative in Yunnan province, allowing women to take up to two days off with a doctor’s note, has reignited discussions about a decades-old policy few have even heard of.