tradition

Medicine and Meridians: A Chinese Artist’s View of Body and Spirit 

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

MULTIMEDIA

Self-taught artist Guo Fengyi drew inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist cosmology and left behind art that remains intriguing to many, even to this day.

Meng Xianhui

Getting to ‘No’: How I Negotiated My Bride Price Away

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

VOICES & OPINION

In the author’s hometown, the groom is expected to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan to the bride’s family. But she wanted nothing to do with the practice.

Zhang Minmin

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

My Three Years of the Pig

The author, a rural development expert, reflects on spending the pandemic setting up a free-range pig farm in a remote Yunnan village.

Yang Xingfeng

Who’s Profiting Off China’s Bride Prices?

Li Yongping

Spirited Away: A Peek into the World of China’s Door Gods 

While the superstition isn’t widespread, the age-old tradition of hanging up door gods still endures during Lunar New Year.

Sheng Wenqiang

Photos: China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, Under the Shadow of Zero-COVID

Renewed pandemic-control measures have muted celebrations in many parts of the country, as authorities double down on lockdown policies.

Qi Ya

Looking for Tradition in a Modern Chinese Wedding

What happens when modern sensibilities conflict with longstanding customs?

Zhan Beibei

China to Hunt Down ‘Incorrect and Non-Standard’ Fonts

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

Publishers, packaging designers, and others will be asked to self-regulate in an effort to eliminate “weird” and “ugly” writing.

Wu Peiyue

Remembering the Dead, Without Going Outside

As China passes its third Tomb-Sweeping Day of the pandemic, millions of locked-down people are looking for digital alternatives to traditional rituals.

Zhang Wanqing

When We Die, What Becomes of Our Digital Lives?

As grief, mourning, and death become a part of our digital lives, societies need clearer rules for the data we leave behind.

Chen Jing

The Sudden Prosecution of Hunan’s ‘Hand Cannon Performers’

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

SIXTH TONE ×

An old Chinese folk custom, incompatible with state laws, lands elderly villagers in trouble.

Ming Que

Christmas in China: Santa, Snowman, Spruce Trees, and More

A photo collage of Chinese cities donned in a festive holiday mood.

Wu Huiyuan 

What My Chinese Grandparents Taught Me About Sustainability

Past generations can teach us a lot about leading more sustainable lives.

Marina Muhui Zheng

Is There a Future for the ‘Chinese School of Animation’?

Chinese animation is often hailed for its integration of traditional aesthetic and themes, but is the aesthetic all it has to offer?

Liu Qing

Sign of the Times: Why Young Chinese Are Removing Their Tattoos

Chinese millennials are getting tattoos in record numbers. But when it’s time to get married or start a career, many are forced to rush back to the studio to get them erased.

Wang Yiping

Zhang Mengyu

The World of Ding Zhen

A Tibetan herder’s viral fame helped put a remote rural county on the map — and made it almost unrecognizable.

Xu Lu

Shanghai Grassroots Community to Give Leftover Mooncakes a Makeover

Aiming to encourage sustainable living, Road To Tomorrow wants to tackle the issue of food waste one mooncake at a time.

Jiang Yaling

The TV Show Highlighting Chinese Culture’s Feminine Side

Locked in competition with neighboring Shaanxi, the central Henan province has sought to spotlight the beauty and grace of traditional Chinese culture, instead of its raw power.

Mao Ming

On the Road With the Nomads of Inner Mongolia

Photographer Li Wei has spent over a decade documenting life on China’s fast-changing northern frontier.