urban China

urban-china

City Slickers: How Shanghai Is Outfoxing Its Raccoon Dog Problem

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

In 2019, raccoon dogs were limited to 40 local communities. Now, they’ve expanded to over 300. Recent efforts such as community education and property management are gradually yielding results in addressing the uptick.

Ding Rui

Space Race: Why Young Chinese Are Cutting Ties With Relatives

In stark contrast to their parents, young Chinese are distancing themselves from family ties and seeking more personal space amid shifting societal dynamics, urbanization, and the influence of social media.

Ye Zhanhang

After Dog Mauls Child, Chinese Cities Push to Tighten Pet Laws

Earlier this week, footage surfaced online showing a black Rottweiler assaulting a young child and her mother.

He Qitong

How Residents Are Rebuilding Shanghai’s Urban Communities

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

MULTIMEDIA

Echo Fu

The Mall at the Center of the Universe

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

VOICES & OPINION

The Wanjiali International Mall wants to be everything to everyone. Can it succeed?

You Xudong

Rock and Rivals: Two Cities Duel for China’s Music Capital Crown

For Shijiazhuang and Xinxiang, the race to become China’s rock music capital is more than just a title; through social media and viral campaigns, they hope to boost tourism.

Vincent Chow

Before Asian Games, Hangzhou Students Tutor Elderly in English

From students tutoring their grandparents to public transportation staff undergoing English training, Hangzhou is abuzz with preparation for the multi-sport event.

Yang Keyi

Stooping Takes China by Storm as Zoomers Scour the Streets for Junk

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

Cash-strapped young Chinese have developed a sudden passion for furnishing their homes with discarded items found on the street. Their parents are horrified.

Fan Yiying

For Young Chinese, 2023 Is the Year of the ‘Drifter’

Fed up with the grind of urban life, young Chinese are embracing the art of “drifting” — living hand-to-mouth while roaming the country aimlessly.

Li Wei

Ni Dandan

Nanning Slams Brakes on Parking Fee Storm, Mayor Offers Apology

City severs ties with parking company after multiple complaints alleging overcharging. Some commuters owe thousands of yuan in parking fees.

Yang Caini

Jiangsu City Punishes Property Developers — For Selling Too Cheaply

Favorable discounts have been offered by developers in smaller Chinese cities where there is relatively more pressure to sell new apartments.

For Cheap Meals, China’s Grown-Ups Take a Seat at the Kids Table

To escape the monotony of takeaway food and eat healthily, busy adults are turning to neighborhood after-school centers.

Li Xin

Illegal Gym Construction Leaves 240 Families Homeless in Harbin

A 31-story building was declared unsafe after a tenant demolished load-bearing walls to build a new commercial gym. Authorities have launched a probe.

In Hong Kong, a New Film Mourns a Fading Icon: the City’s Neon Signs

For decades, Hong Kong has been synonymous with its gleaming neon street signs. But these icons of the city’s past are now rapidly disappearing — as the hit new film “A Light Never Goes Out” explores.

Mathew Scott

Death in the Modern City

Urbanization has changed Chinese funerary practices, but some traditions live on.

Tang Shenqi

What Will It Take to Save China’s Bus Companies?

Even as local governments tighten their belts, many are pouring money into unprofitable and inefficient bus lines. Sooner or later, something has to give.

Wang Yuanyuan

The Hunt for China’s Ugliest Building

For 13 years, the “China’s Ugliest Buildings” poll has documented the misfires and gambles that defined the country’s urban building spree. What can the results teach us about taste in architecture?

Remembering a Golden Age: Shanghai at the Turn of the Century

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Photographer Xu Haifeng captures the melancholic optimism of China’s commercial hub in the 1990s and 2000s.

Xue Yongle

Why China Shouldn’t Let COVID Undo 40 Years of Urbanization

The explosive spread of the COVID-19 seems to be souring policymakers and experts on high-density urbanism, but what does the data say?

Lu Ming

After 3 Years of COVID, China’s Gen-Z Face a Tough New Reality

For young Chinese, the pandemic hasn’t just brought years of lockdowns; it has fundamentally altered their expectations for the future — and their understanding of their place in society.