China’s Short-Changing Its Future
One of the most critical tasks is developing a workforce for the 21st century.
Uber Backers Said to Push for Didi Truce in Costly China War
Several institutional investors are pushing Uber to ink a partnership agreement with Didi Chuxing.
Pokémon Chasers in China Hit Brick Wall
The popular app is unavailable in China, but players are still trying....
Sinica Podcast
07.11.16
The Street of Eternal Happiness
from Sinica PodcastRob Schmitz, China correspondent for Marketplace, has been living in China on and off since 1995. He is the author of Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road, a book about the people living and working on Changle Lu in...
China to Pillory, or Praise, Cities Based on Water Pollution
Water and soil pollution have received less attention than foul air but are just as hazardous, if not more so.
China’s Devastating Floods Can Be Traced Back to Corruption and Overbuilding
Scandals are not uncommon in China’s flood-control projects.
This Dystopian Film From Hong Kong Shows Exactly Why Activism Matters
“Ten Years” depicts the ripple effect of the Umbrella Movement in China past two years....
Depth of Field
07.01.16
Tornados and Drag Queens
from Yuanjin PhotoBeing a photojournalist involves reacting to breaking news, a dedication to long-term projects, and everything in between. This month’s showcase of work by Chinese photographers published in Chinese media underscores this range of angles: from...
‘Destined to Disappear’: The Last Generation of China’s ‘Bang-Bang’ Army
Itinerant porters face a vocational extinction in the towering hills of Chongqing....
Uber Positions Its China App as More than a Ride-Hailing Service
Uber’s new vision for China includes two new offerings, UberLIFE and Uber + Travel, which will roll out across China this year.
Conversation
06.24.16
Is Europe Prepared to Deal with the China Challenge?
Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a grand tour of the western end of the “New Silk Road,” in visits to Serbia and Poland this week before he returns to Beijing via Uzbekistan, a more eastern outpost on China’s expanding 21st...
Trainer Seen on Video Spanking Bankers For Poor Performance
Bad press for corporate motivational coach who is wacking employees for not reaching full potential....
China’s New Love Affair With Dogs—As Pets, Not Food—Presents Environmental Problems
A culture shift could have an effect on China’s CO2 emissions....
Uber Rival’s $28 Billion Valuation Shows Size of China’s Ride-Sharing Market
Recent fund-raising rounds in the ride-sharing market show that China is one of the most expensive markets in the world.
Books
06.15.16
Street of Eternal Happiness
Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers arrive each day to partake in a mad torrent of capital, ideas, and opportunity. Marketplace’s Rob Schmitz is one of them. He immerses himself in his neighborhood, forging deep relationships with ordinary people who see in the city’s sleek skyline a brighter future and a chance to rewrite their destinies. There’s Zhao, whose path from factory floor to shopkeeper is sidetracked by her desperate measures to ensure a better future for her sons.
Disney Shares Keys To Magic Kingdom With China
A much needed partnership leaves the Communist Party with final say in everything from admssion price to ride design....
China’s Call To Young Men: Your Nation Needs Your Sperm
Sperm banks get creative with cash and iPhone incentives....
China Evicts Hundreds To Make Way For Disney Park
Shanghai residents and businesses are displaces with little to no compensation....
L’Oreal Is Setting A Dangerous Global Precedent By Bowing to China Over Free Speech
Lancome cancels concert to appeal to the mainland, sacrificing freedoms for their parnerships....
Depth of Field
05.31.16
Families, Weddings, and Beekeepers
from Yuanjin PhotoThis month’s Depth of Field column brings the stories of Chinese adoption; the marriage ceremony of Hu Mingliang and Sun Wenlin, a gay couple who filed the first civil rights marriage lawsuit to be accepted by a Chinese court (...
Green Space
05.18.16
Time Traveling Through Dramatic Urbanization in China Over Decades
Twenty-six years ago, only 26 percent of the Chinese population lived in urban areas. Since then, China’s urbanization rate has risen to almost...
Supertall 101
Starting in the late 1990s, the government of Taipei began looking into how they could turn global attention to their city, the capital of the small island of Taiwan.
The initial idea was to create two 66-story office towers, which would...
When It Comes to Luxury, China Still Leads
A younger and more sophisticated generation of shoppers is emerging, who are educated, well-traveled and tech-savvy.
China Minister Warns on Subsidies As Uber, Didi Battle
Ride-booking services have threatened the old-style taxi sector and contributed to cab drivers' protests.
Victoria's Secret, Nike Cashes in On Rising Girl Power in China
Despite the country’s recent economic downturn, Chinese female consumers are willing to buy.
China Desperately Needs Low-Income Migrant Workers to Buy Homes and Save the Economy
You can't ignore the lower-end demand because there is none at the higher end.
Gate-Crash! China’s New Housing Rules Irk the Gilded Classes
New directive says roads in private housing estates should “gradually open up” to the public.
China: No More Weird Buildings
New guidelines will forbid the construction of "bizarre" and "odd-shaped" buildings that are devoid of character or cultural heritage.
India and China Have Most Deaths from Pollution
Indian and Chinese fatalities accounted for 55% of pollution-related deaths worldwide.
Sinica Podcast
02.09.16
Sauced: American Cooking in China
from Sinica PodcastKaiser Kuo and David Moser are joined this week by Howie Southworth and Greg Matza, creators of the independent video series “Sauced in Translation,” a reality show that journeys into the wilder parts of China in search of local Chinese...
Millions of Chinese Migrant Workers Head Home for New Year
Every year tens of millions of Chinese migrant workers head home in the largest annual mass migration of people.
The Unreal, Eerie Emptiness of China’s Ghost Cities
Kangbashi is one of hundreds of sparkling new cities sitting relatively empty throughout China, built by a government eager to urbanize the country.
How China's Celebration of the Year of the Monkey Breaks Down by the Numbers
Here’s a further look at the celebrations and some more related numbers.
China Sends 6,000 Police to Quell New Year Train Station Chaos
Tens of thousands still waiting for transport at Guangzhou main rail depot.
Caixin Media
01.26.16
How Serial Killers Terrorized China’s Disorganized Elder Care Industry
The 45-year-old caregiver was calm on the witness stand, but her words were jarring. He Tiandai admitted during her murder trial that she killed a 70-year-old woman she cared for by poisoning her soup with sleeping pills and pesticide, injecting...
Environment
01.11.16
Chinese Cities Most at Risk from Rising Sea Levels
from chinadialogueA study by Climate Central, a non-profit news organization focusing on climate science, showed that 12 other nations have more than 10 million people living on land...
China's Two-Child Policy Comes into Effect
The Chinese government implemented the law after concerns related to the country's shrinking population and aging workforce.
Chinese Official Vows Punishment Over Shenzhen Landslide
Ma Xingrui expressed remorse during a televised news conference five days after dirt and waste smothered buildings and buried 75 people.
Media
12.15.15
The Proletariat Experience of Beijing’s Airpocalypse
On December 8, a Tuesday, a man surnamed Cao piloted his electric scooter along Beijing’s profoundly hazy streets, parking in front of one towering apartment complex after another to deliver packages. Although the government had just issued a “...
Xi'an City Wall: How China Turned A Military Site Into A Unique Park
Xi'an, China's 637-year-old city wall is a relatively new kid on the block.
Why China's Millennials Are Happy to Own Nothing
Two decades ago, Tyler Xiong and his parents had to live in a commune guided by the strict socialist teachings of Mao Zedong.
The Sham Marriage App Helping China’s Gay Community
With homosexuality illegal until 1997 and prejudice still rife, gays and lesbians are increasingly joining forces with the help of matchmaking apps
Beware of China's Safety Record
Chinese people have paid heavily for a flawed system. Now that Chinese-style construction and management are going global, what price is the world prepared to pay?
China's Middle Class Isn't What We Thought It Was
For years, multinational companies have been rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the growth of the Chinese middle class.
Caixin Media
11.18.15
Government Enlists NGOs to Help Homeless
Drivers roll up car windows as an autumn wind chills a traffic-clogged overpass in western Beijing’s Liuliqiao area. And under the concrete overpass, homeless people are gathering for a chilly night’s rest after wandering city streets.
...
The Young Foreigners Embedded in Chinese Local Government
Communist China has a long history of recruiting foreign experts to advise state-owned companies and teach at universities.
China's Napoleon Complex
With Deng’s political reforms in the 1980s and 1990s came increased discrimination based on appearance.
Sinica Podcast
11.16.15
The Pace of Change in Beijing: Live at the Bookworm, Part I
from Sinica PodcastThis week’s Sinica podcast was recorded last month during a special live event at the Bookworm literary festival, where David Moser and Kaiser Kuo were joined by Jeremy Goldkorn, fresh off the plane from Nashville. Topics in this podcast: Beijing...
How Smartphones are Solving One of China’s Biggest Mysteries
For decades, China has been engaged in a building boom of a scale that is hard to wrap your mind around.
20 Photos That Show How Insanely Crowded China Has Become
China has reportedly dropped its long-standing one-child policy, which was first enacted decades ago in an effort to curb overpopulation.The current population rests at around 1.4 billion after having the policy in place for over 35 years. Only...
Crouching Trekker, Hidden Buildings: China's Urban Explorers
Intrepid urbexers are wandering through the industrial wastelands of China.
Hong Kong Is the Happiest Place in China, According to WeChat Posts
Hong Kong is home to the happiest people in Greater China, closely followed by Taiwan, according to Tencent.
Photo Gallery
10.21.15
The Last Days of the 6 RMB Hotel
from Tencent QQBeginning in 1981 when it opened its doors in the Chinese city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province, the Big Paddy’s Edge Inn attracted some of the city’s most colorful characters. The inn’s proprietor, Gu Qimei, charged a rock-bottom nightly fee of 6...