social conflict

social-conflict

In Locked-Down Shanghai, Students Adapt to a Surreal New Normal

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

Schools have introduced color-coded QR codes to regulate students’ access to supermarkets and even shared bathrooms, as they try to maintain social distancing on crowded campuses.

Zhang Wanqing

China’s Instagram Wants More Male Users. It’s Using Women as Bait.

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

Lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu used to be a rare safe space for Chinese women online. Then, the company began marketing itself to men as a place to meet “beautiful ladies.”

How a Women’s Rights Law Became a Front in China’s Gender Wars

Female social media users want draft legislation to include more gender equality provisions. Conservative men fear it’s going too far.

Luo Yahan

Sugarcane Seizure Raises Fears of Subcontracted Law Enforcement

A Chinese city’s use of subcontractors to enforce local regulations against street-vending has landed officials in legal hot water.

Yuan Ye

A Floor Shaker, a Seismic Feud, and a Condo Wide Awake

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

SIXTH TONE ×

After a petty squabble, one Shanghai resident deployed a machine designed to annoy neighbors with chaotic sounds, shrieks, and thumps.

Chang Zeyu

Chen Canjie

New Film Turns the Tables on China’s Infamous ‘Chengguan’

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

MULTIMEDIA

China’s city management officers, or “chengguan,” are notorious for violent clampdowns on urban street vendors. But in Chen Weijun’s documentary “City Dream,” the force bites off more than it can chew.

Fu Beimeng

How a Lost iPad Sparked Furious Online Debate in China

A student found a tablet on campus and posted a thoughtful lost-and-found note in Chinese and English. Then nationalists accused him of “fawning over foreigners.”

Du Xinyu

Liu Chuyue

Running Out of Food in Lockdown, Jilin Residents Give Viral Plea

With several Chinese cities experiencing their first coronavirus outbreaks in months, local logistics are encountering some speed bumps.

Chen Qi’an

Professor’s Suicide Puts Forced Demolition Back in Spotlight

Tuo Jiguang had accused Chengdu authorities of shirking resettlement negotiations since 2011 before ultimately demolishing his family’s two apartments last year without warning.

Never Forget, Never Rebuild? Officials Wade Into Summer Palace Debate

The ruins have long been a potent symbol of China’s “humiliation” at the hands of foreign powers. Now, some are renewing calls to restore the palace to its former glory.

Kenrick Davis

The Lasting Pain of China’s Identity Theft Victims

For nearly 20 years, Gou Jing believed someone had stolen the life she should have led. Now, an investigation has proved she was right.

Ni Dandan

Disabled Man Barred From Performing, Accused of Tainting City’s Image

Conflict between locals and city management officials is once again in the spotlight after an incident in Chongqing.

Fear and Loving in Shanghai

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

VOICES & OPINION

There may be more than love in the air this Valentine’s Day, but how much longer can we let our fear control us?

Wu Haiyun

After the Lockdown, Wuhanese Struggle to Return Home

On Jan. 23, the megacity at the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak sealed itself off from the rest of China. Two weeks later, thousands of residents are still stuck outside.

Li You

12,000 Chinese Descend on Switzerland in Record-Setting Tour

The gargantuan trip is a reward for employees of Jeunesse Global, a U.S. direct sales company previously scrutinized in China over its business operations.

Cai Xuejiao

Why Young People From Taiwan Struggle to Adjust to Mainland Life

Despite a bevy of policies aimed at attracting young residents of the island to study and work on the mainland, many report difficulty integrating into their new communities

Chen Chao

Parents Fuming Over Investigation Into School’s Toxic Track

Families with sick children say they expect transparency and financial compensation — but instead they’re getting home calls and warnings from local officials.

Wang Yiwei

Cultural Heritage Office Condemns Attack on Archaeologists

City management officials allegedly assaulted two archaeologists who refused orders to pack up their site and leave.

Yin Yijun

Is China’s Grassroots Social Order Project Running Out of Money?

‘Grid management’ — where volunteers double as public order officials — is strong, stable, and rather expensive.

Zhou Wang

Parents Plead With Government to Give Kids More Homework

Anxious moms and dads doubt the efficacy of the decades-old workload reduction movement.