In Southwest China, Bankers Now Double as Border Guards

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Tasked with preventing COVID-19 transmission across China’s border with Myanmar, officials in the small city of Ruili have mobilized everyone from bureaucrats to bankers.

China’s ‘Zero-COVID’ Policy: A View From the Border

Ruili boomed in the 2010s thanks to its close proximity to Myanmar and the jade trade. Then the pandemic came, and the city found itself cut off, not just from the border, but also the rest of China.

Crazy Stones: The Chinese Gamblers Betting Millions on Rocks

Gambling on the contents of uncut jadeite stones has a long history along the China-Myanmar border. Now, livestreamers are taking the practice nationwide.