literature

Shaw in Shanghai: How the Irish Writer’s 1933 Visit Inspired China’s Literati

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

SIXTH TONE ×

After George Bernard Shaw’s whistlestop wartime visit, left-wing Chinese intellectuals hailed the playwright and polemicist as a “loyal friend of the oppressed.”

Sixth Tone

China’s Largest Bookstore Launches Nationwide Same-Day Delivery

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

Experts say the value of the service lies not in profit but in how it can help bookstores reconstruct their connections to readers.

Li Xin

Deliver Rider Wins China’s Top Literary Prize for Poetry 

Wang Jibing, part of a growing cohort of grassroots Chinese writers, has written more than 6,000 poems about his time spent delivering food.

Jiang Xinyi

The Many Lives of Chaoshan

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

VOICES & OPINION

Once known mainly for its merchants and overseas networks, Chaoshan is back in the spotlight. This series examines how the region’s past and present offer insights into modern China.

Cai Yiwen

From Chaoshan, Into the Stars

Chaoshan culture embraces new experiences, while remaining rooted in tradition. What would this mean on an intergalactic scale?

Chen Qiufan

No Woo: At China’s Top Anime Convention, Love Takes a Back Seat

For more than a decade, the niche, female-focused nüwu genre has attracted a cult following through web novels. Now, fans are taking it offline.

Fan Yiying

Mao Rui

Can a Library Read Your Mood? Wuhan Wants to Find Out

Readers can now receive personalized book recommendations based on their emotional state, as well as explore themed displays and soothing audio experiences.

Chen Yiru

The Resurgence of ‘Legitimate vs. Illegitimate’ Narratives in Online Fiction

The tension between inherited status and personal initiative drives modern online narratives.

Jin Fangting

Think Wuxia Is Past Its Prime? Think Again.

Since masters of the genre like Jin Yong penned their epics, there has been a growing female wuxia authorship that speaks to increased cultural confidence, a diversity of voices, and all-new takes on classic settings.

Xueting C. Ni

The Room Within: A Yi Childhood Among Animals in Yunnan

Zha Shiyire reflects on how a wild, animal-filled childhood in rural Yunnan built an inner sanctuary that still sustains her.

Zha Shiyire

Writing Factory: Notes From a Life on China’s Assembly Lines

After almost two decades on the line, Zhang Sai is turning factory life into literature and documenting the people and pressures of China’s vast factory workforce.

Southern People  Weekly

Growing Up With Corpses: Memories of a Tianjin Funeral Master

In a new book, a writer from a family of “daliao” — traditional funeral celebrants — reflects on her unusual childhood and how funeral customs have changed since the 1970s.

Han Yun

A Memory of Loss: ‘Could Grandma Hear My Cries?’

In tribute to her grandparents, artist Wu Wei explores in her work the anguish of loss and the joy of remembrance.

Wu Wei

Yours, Dearly: Letters From Two Unknown Women

A collection of correspondence between university friends over a decade explores the struggles facing women in love, work, and self-belief.

Wu Shiqi

Cactus  Loves Water 

Is ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ Just a Love Story? It Depends Who You Ask

Chinese scholars have long agreed that the classic novel is a tragic love story. So why are others convinced it’s actually a metaphor for dynastic transition?

Yang Yifei

Feline Feeling: Reflecting on a Life Marked by Cats

In a new book, a Chinese academic looks back on how her furry friends helped in good times and bad.

Sun Dong

AI Translation Is Helping Chinese Literature Go Global

As translation technology improves, companies are cashing in on a boom in Chinese web literature worldwide, but the trend poses concerns for human editors and copyright protections.

The Struggles and Strengths of China’s Bereaved Youths

In her new book, Dr. Li Yunyun explores how losing a parent early in life, like she did, affects a person’s mindset and sense of identity.

Li Yunyun

How a Green Snake Became a Feminist Symbol in China 

In early tellings of “Legend of the White Snake,” Green Snake was a sideshow. Now she’s the star.

Bai Huiyuan

Street Market Writer Rewrites the Working Woman’s Narrative

With her new book on nomadic beekeeping, grassroots author Chen Hui continues to cause a literary buzz.