jiang-xinyi

China’s Lifelike Emotional Companion Bots Go on Sale

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

The life-size robot is billed as an emotional companion, employing both affective AI and encrypted memory storage.

China’s Internet Finds Its Mascot: A Tired Opossum

A picture of the animal, known for playing dead, has been spreading online, with users attaching captions riffing on life’s hardships.

How a Rare Bird Stopped a Highway Project in South China

The road was planned to cut through a critical spoon-billed sandpiper habitat. By first organizing online, and then taking action offline, amateur activists halted its construction.

AI Hallucinates Flight Refund, Sparking Memes in China

A chat log in which an AI assistant confidently presented a user with numerous inaccuracies has inspired a wave of AI hallucination spoofs, a growing trend in the country.

Handmade: Two Chinese Productions Go Viral for Skipping AI

The productions, made by two amateur teams using their own savings, have garnered hundreds of millions of views on domestic video platforms.

In China, a Women’s Hackathon Series Opens the Door to Tech

At women-led coding events across China, participants are turning overlooked problems — from menopause to workplace sexism — into products of their own.

Chinese Tourists Leave Textbooks at Monuments for Others to Find

Travelers first began posting online pictures of the textbooks, whose covers feature famous sites from around the world, before leaving the books there for others to discover and sign.

Should Optimus Prime Be Insured? Ask China’s ‘Bottom Journals’

China’s parody journals are turning failed experiments, revision fatigue, and academic anxiety into comedy — and finding an audience.

For Congenital Deafness, a Chinese Trial Opens a Path to Sound

The world’s first clinical trial on congenital deafness gene therapy showed that injecting a missing gene back into ear cells can restore hearing.

Girls Help Girls: Top Students Can Lift Peers, Chinese Study Finds

A new study shows that female top-ranked students can serve as significant role models in narrowing gender-based education gaps.

How an Influencer Made the Prefrontal Cortex Go Viral in China

A neuroscience Ph.D. student posted videos online to raise awareness about the brain region’s development. Netizens started using it to describe themselves.

Pushed Out as Demand Falls, China’s Obstetricians Start Over

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

A decade of declining births is shrinking maternity wards, reshaping hospitals, and forcing obstetricians to adapt, retrain, or leave the profession altogether.

China’s Next Megaprojects Are Built for Big Science

Data shows how China’s infrastructure drive is beginning to include new scientific instruments built to explore the frontiers of physics, astronomy, and energy.

China’s Tech Giants Are Recruiting High Schoolers

Citing insufficient talent in universities, tech companies are increasingly seeking out high schoolers to fulfill research and internship roles.

From Repair Shop to World Podium: Chinese Biker Goes Viral After Historic Win

A former rural repair apprentice has headed the first-ever Chinese motorcycle brand to win the Supersport World Championship.

Fed Wrong? Chinese Scientists Question Lab Mouse Diets

Purified diets have long been used in lab animal research. But a recent argument posits that there may be a reason why successful animal research doesn’t always translate into the same clinical outcomes.

Chinese Scientists Find Climate-Related Sleep Loss May Result in Economic Inequality

The study has the potential to inform fairer climate policy to reduce the effects of sleep loss due to global warming.

China’s First National Ecological and Environmental Code, Explained

The code provides a systemic legal framework for farm fires, pollutants, and human-wildlife conflicts, as well as carbon markets and environmental rights.

Chinese University Cuts Arts Majors, Citing an AI-Driven Future

An explanation from the university’s top official led to debate on social media. But students say they’re not surprised by the cancellation.

Pop Mart Sues Chinese 3D Printer Company Over Labubu Copies

Users downloaded templates online to print the hugely popular collectible toys at home for a fraction of the retail price.