history

4,000 Tombs Under Xi’an Airport Get a Terminal of Their Own

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

Beneath the runways of one of China’s busiest airports, in the ancient capital of Xi’an, lies a forgotten city of the dead. Now, it’s a museum.

Jiang Xinyi

Drawing From Bronze

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

VOICES & OPINION

How ancient bronzeware inspired two hit Chinese film series.

Jin Fangting

From Lane to Block: The Evolution of Shanghai’s Modern Apartments

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

MULTIMEDIA

From humble lane-style buildings to grand block apartments, Shanghai’s historic residential architecture tells the story of a city in transformation.

Liu Gang

China Overhauls Heritage Law With Higher Fines, Stricter Oversight

To curb heritage destruction, the revised law also mandates stricter local oversight and removes time limits on reclaiming looted artifacts.

Dutch Courage: The Chinese Who Took Root in Rotterdam

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Using old family photos, a new book explores the struggles and stereotypes that faced early Chinese settlers in the Netherlands.

The Paper

This New Year, Try Treating Snakes With Respect, Not Fear

Snakes weren’t always “little dragons.” In early Chinese cultures, they were powerful symbols of vitality and strength in their own right.

Lin Wensi

Of Gourds and Gods: The Art of an Ancient Chinese Board Game

Once a traditional Spring Festival pastime, this 2,000-year-old game integrates elements of fantasy and imperial culture.

Sheng Wenqiang

When Beijing Was China’s Most International City 

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

A newly translated book explores how international residents have shaped and recorded life in China’s ancient capital for hundreds of years.

Wu Haiyun

In Shaanxi, a Long-Buried Han Dynasty Tomb Is a Study in Power

The tomb of a Han dynasty prime minister, found with gold artifacts and rare clay seals, offers insights into ancient feudal China.

Li Xin

The Forgotten Scholars Who Brought Chinese Laws to the World

How do you make Confucian concepts legible to international scholars of law?

Wu Jingjian

One Million Years Later, Yunxian Man Finally Gets a Glow Up 

Using advanced scanning, modeling, and forensic techniques, Chinese scientists have reconstructed the faces of Yunxian Man from million-year-old skulls.

Ding Rui

Writing on the Wall: The Bold, Blocky Print That Scripted Socialism

Spread via handbooks and murals, the blocky, easily legible ‘meishuzi’ characters of the 1950s and ’60s gave Chinese socialism its visual language.

Liu Yuli

Copy Right: The Painstaking Method and Magic of Mastering a Replica

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

Across the country, museums are commissioning recreations of ancient artifacts. But beyond simple replicas, these efforts aim to revive the techniques and craftsmanship that shaped China’s cultural legacy.

A Forgotten Book Gets a Fresh Look

Henri Doré spent his life collecting examples of Chinese folk art. Written off by many of his contemporaries, that collection has become an important window into the country’s past.

Zhang Xiaoyi

Bringing Back Baile

Wu Huiyuan 

The Secrets of the Shang

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Sometimes called the “holy land” of Chinese archaeology, Yinxu remains a mystery even today.

For China’s Archaeologists, All Roads Lead to Yinxu

Even after nearly a hundred years of excavations, many of the ancient Shang dynasty capital’s secrets remain buried in the earth.

Stunning Tomb Find Sheds New Light on Prehistoric China

The 5,000-year-old burial site suggests that China’s neolithic kingdoms were more sophisticated than previously thought.

The Puzzling History of China’s Most Controversial Flavoring

Monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG, is a Japanese import that became as Chinese as Kung Pao chicken. But its spread was more historical accident than foreordained.