health

China Comes to Grips With Child Pneumonia Outbreak, but Flu Season Awaits

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

A usually mild respiratory infection has strained medical resources around the country in recent months, which may worsen as China enters peak flu season.

Yang Caini

The Miracle and Mirage of Weight Loss Drugs

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Chinese consumers wanting a quick weight loss fix are turning to a diabetes drug, raising concerns over misuse and potential side effects.

Caixin Global

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

Hospital Director, Staff Detained for Selling Fake Birth Certificates   

Fake birth certificates can be used by child traffickers to secure crucial documentation and services.

Eye on China Market, Top Pharma Firms Showcase Rare Disease Care

At the China International Import Expo, rare disease treatments have been in the limelight, with many quickly gaining market approval in China after their debut at the event.

Sixth Tone

Small PM2.5 Spike Can Raise Death Risks by 8%: New Chinese Study

Published in The Lancet, the research also indicates that previous studies may have overstated the dangers of PM2.5, especially at lower concentrations.

Ye Zhanhang

How a ‘Brain Pacemaker’ Can Help Treat Depression

After 16 years of battling “demons,” one patient says he has been given a second chance at life by a brain-computer interface developed in Shanghai.

The Paper

Young Chinese Turn to Taobao for Psychological Support 

On Taobao, young Chinese can find plenty of people willing to help them talk through their mental health struggles for a fee. However, it is unclear where companionship ends and counseling begins.

He Qitong

China’s Rural Children Close Height, Weight Gap, but Obesity Looms

A new study published in Lancet analyzes height and weight markers, offering a window into China’s health challenges and shifting socioeconomic dynamics.

Zhu Junxi

The Private Practice Heirs of China’s Socialist Aid Program 

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 has sent more than 20,000 trained medical professionals on aid missions to Africa over the last 60 years. Some have never left.

Jodie Yuzhou Sun

Health Care in the Spotlight at Shanghai Innovation Forum

Chinese startups are developing pioneering health care innovations, but finding funding and talent remains challenging.

Gain and Pain: The Problem of China’s Expanding Waistline

Almost half of the country’s population is now overweight or obese, according to a comprehensive study that factors in gender, geography, and GDP.

Shanghai Trials Sugary Beverage Alert System in Stores 

Sugary beverages are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in China each year. Authorities are trying to alert customers of their health impact.

Li Xin

Health Care Conferences Canceled as Anti-Corruption Campaign Intensifies

In recent years, conferences have emerged as an alternative method for kickbacks to be made in the healthcare industry through speakers’ fees and stipends.

In China’s Dance Schools, a Dangerous Obsession With Weight Loss

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

In China’s elite dance schools, students are facing ever greater pressure to lose weight, with coaches urging them to become “as thin as lightning.” The result: a troubling rise in cases of anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health issues.

Chang Minxiao

Fan Yiying

In Northeast China, a New ‘Fangcang’ Hospital Sparks Public Uproar

During the pandemic, hundreds of temporary “fangcang” hospitals were built to meet urgent needs. The proposed construction of a new one has raised concerns about the necessity of building hospitals designed for emergencies.

China Seeks Cure for Ailing Health System

Can restructuring the medical insurance system stave off a reckoning for the public insurance fund?

Heatwave Sweeps Across China, Claiming Lives and Rewriting Records

In the past 10 days, multiple cities issued over 200 heat alerts amid scorching conditions, and this season also recorded the highest number of days exceeding 35 degrees Celsius since 1961.

Ding Rui

Death of Coco Lee Triggers Public Discussion on Depression in China

Fans have found it difficult to process the sudden death of a pop star who has long been famous for her bubbly and outgoing public persona.

Wang Lianzhang

In China, Extreme Boot Camps for Kids Are Multiplying. So Are Accidents.

In China, there is a growing trend for parents to send their kids to “character-building” summer camps in the wilderness. But in this unregulated new industry, the danger is often very real.