policy

After Mortgage Rate Cut, China’s Biggest Cities Ease Property Rules

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

Guangzhou fully lifts home purchase limits, while Shanghai and Shenzhen introduce partial relaxations ahead of the National Day holiday, aiming to boost the property market.

He Qitong

China Rolls Out Major Stimulus, Cuts Mortgage Rates to Spur Growth

The plan reduces mortgage rates by 0.5 percentage points, lowers down payments for second homes, and injects 1 trillion yuan in liquidity.

Jiang Xinyi

China Adds Lung Disease to National Public Health Scheme

The move will enable the country’s more than 100 million chronic pulmonary disease patients to access free annual check-ups.

China Approves First Retirement Age Hike Since 1950s

The gradual increase, starting in 2025, aims to address China’s shrinking workforce and the economic strain of an aging population.

Sixth Tone

China Seeks to Allay Public Concerns Over ‘Housing Pension’ Plans

The government says the policy is vital for funding the maintenance of the country’s aging housing stock. But it is facing pushback from homeowners.

Why China’s Universities Are Ditching Their Engineering Programs

Universities are revamping their degree offerings in line with the government’s economic priorities.

Fan Yiying

China Plans to Make It Simpler for Couples to Marry

The draft regulations would reduce the number of documents couples need to provide to tie the knot, as the country seeks to boost its falling marriage rate.

Ding Rui

Guangzhou District Offers Homebuyers Free ‘Hukou’ Benefits

The policy is the latest sign that even China’s largest cities are struggling to revive the housing market.

Ye Zhanhang

Chinese City Scraps Plan to Rename Streets After ‘Confusing’ Idioms

Four years ago, Handan renamed dozens of roads after idioms linked to the city’s ancient past. But even local residents found the phrases “difficult to remember,” local authorities admit.

Li Xin

Li Miaoran

Why China’s Degree Programs Are Getting Longer

Universities across China are lengthening their postgraduate degree programs, as students look to delay entering the job market.

China Signals More Flexible Real Estate Policies

At the crucial third plenum this past week, China’s leaders vowed to give local governments greater freedom to set real estate policy.

China’s Visa-Free Policies Spark Tourism Spike

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Agreements and initiatives that allow citizens from selected countries to enter the mainland visa-free for extended periods have helped fuel a 150% increase in international visitors.

The Paper

Talk of the Towns: China’s Local Governments Step Up to Save Dialects

With young Chinese fueling a revival of regional dialects, local governments across the country are now launching educational programs and media initiatives to preserve cultural identity.

To Lure Talent, China’s Civil Service Is Betting on Contract Hires

As competition for traditional civil service positions intensifies, China is increasingly turning to contract-based roles to meet new governance needs. Unlike traditional positions, these contracts offer flexibility and competitive salaries, bypassing the rigorous civil service exams.

China Launches Three-Year Campaign Against Ocean Litter

The initiative aims to significantly clear 65 bay areas by 2025 and establish regular clean-ups by 2027.

My Child Spent a Fortune on a Chinese Video Game. What Now?

Amid a wave of public anger, China’s video game industry has vowed to make it easier for parents to claim refunds if they find their child has secretly spent huge sums on in-game add-ons.

Shanghai Takes Yet More Steps to Revive Housing Market

To jumpstart recovery, China’s largest city is moving to slash mortgage rates and housing purchase restrictions.

Back to Basics: How Gaokao Overhaul Sparks a Core Science Revival 

Recent gaokao reform mandates physics and chemistry for most science majors, leading to more students choosing these subjects, but risks reviving old divides between the sciences and humanities.

Off the Books: Inside the Struggle to Save China’s Preschools

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

Facing low admissions, fierce competition from public schools, and financial pressures, China’s private kindergartens are upping marketing efforts and offering nursery classes. To boost enrollments, teachers are also increasingly taking on roles as sales reps.

China Launches Campaign to Bring Order to Unruly Classrooms

The crackdown will target a range of problems in schools, from bullying to excessive homework.