disability

Online Influencer With Disability Hits Back at Trolls

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

Attacks against the earthquake survivor come amid a growing spate of online violence.

Ye Zhanhang

China’s First Deaf Lawyer Beat The Odds. Now, She’s Giving Back.

There still isn’t a system in place for Tan Ting to argue in court so she works on spreading legal awareness among the deaf. In China, that’s equally important.

Seeing for the Sightless

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

SIXTH TONE ×

On a mobile app that connects the whole world, volunteers lend their eyes to the visually impaired, who in return give their ears to offer soothing comfort.

Beijing Youth Daily

Shanghai Codifies Accessible Infrastructure for the Old, Disabled

Shanghai joins capital Beijing in constructing a more barrier-free environment for people with special needs.

Li Xin

A Beijing Theater Is Committed to Screening Movies for the Blind

Reckoning Theater has organized over 1,000 screenings since its opening in 2004.

Yang Caini

For China’s Paralympic Stars, Retirement Brings a Harsh New Reality

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

China holds up its world-beating Paralympic team as national heroes. Yet some of its greatest stars are falling into unemployment and depression after retiring.

Li Pasha

Star Snowboarder Su Yiming Becomes New Special Olympics Ambassador

The Special Olympics Committee hopes Su’s star power will help change social attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities in China.

Jiang Xinyi

Ni Dandan

Disabled Man in Chinese Countryside Inspires Disillusioned Youth

A viral video of a 66-year-old man’s life story of him overcoming the odds has left millions of viewers reflecting.

Wu Haiyun

In Training Machines, China’s Disabled Find New Hope, Old Woes

As China ramps up on feeding data into AI, people with disabilities wrestle with the job prospects it brings.

Code for Life

He’s China's Most Famous Conductor. He Also Has Down Syndrome.

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

MULTIMEDIA

Lü Xiao

China’s CODA Share Their Stories 

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

VOICES & OPINION

Long marginalized by mainstream society, children of deaf adults, or CODA, are building a community of their own.

Zheng Xuan

Shaanxi ‘Caged Woman’ Was Trafficked, but Not Caged: Investigators

A municipal investigation finds that a woman in China’s northwest was a victim of trafficking, but husband is not charged.

Wu Peiyue

China’s Paralympic Athletes Make History, Top Medal Ranking

The result was a far cry from the one medal the country won during the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang.

Fan Yiying

For a Speed Skating Prodigy Turned Coach, It's Not About the Medals

Liu Xiuming's students have won medals at the Special Olympics. More important is how sport can change the lives of children with disabilities.

Tencent Launches Emergency Services App for the Deaf

China has more than 20 million hard of hearing people. Tech giant Tencent says its new system will help them make emergency calls.

Zhu Ruiying

Call of Duty: Why Family Care for the Mentally Ill Is No Game

Family support is essential for people with mental illnesses. But it leaves caregivers struggling with the emotional fallout.

Liang Ting

Shanghai’s Wheelchair Dancers Put a New Spin on Disability

The city’s first wheelchair dance group, Home of Hope, are on a mission to redefine what it means to be a disabled person in China.

Chen Si

A Blind Man’s Epic Quest to Conquer Everest

Seven years ago, Zhang Hong had never climbed a mountain — or even heard of Mount Everest. This May, he overcame incredible odds to become the first blind person from an Asian nation to reach the world’s highest peak.

Wang Lianzhang

Make Movies Accessible for All, Demand Disabilities Advocates

For the millions of people with visual or hearing impairments, most new film releases are off-limits, given their lack of audio narration and closed captioning.

Yuan Ye

On a Chinese Mountaintop, a Community Just for People With Autism

In China, care facilities to support people with autism are scarce. So families are banding together to build their own.