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

VOICES & OPINION

Broad Tones

Will This Short Story Rewrite the History of Chinese Sci-Fi?

Published in Singapore in 1898, the anonymously written, long-forgotten “The Travels of Chang Ching Chong: An Autobiography” may be the earliest example of Chinese science fiction.

Feng Zhang

Do Sci-Fi Authors Dream of Electric Daoism?

What draws some of the world’s top sci-fi authors to the “Dao De Jing”?

Emily Xueni Jin

The Passion of Chiung Yao

Chiung, who died last week at 86, was China’s most famous romance novelist. But what does her work mean in an era where young people seem uninterested in being swept off their feet?

Wu Haiyun

China Wants Scooters to Slow Down. Will It Work?

New rules cap the maximum speed of scooters nationwide, but the focus on riders over drivers may not be entirely fair, says Shanghai urbanist Liu Yuanju.

Liu Yuanju

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

A Walk Through China’s New Model Countryside

The eastern province of Zhejiang has invested heavily in rural areas — part of a national rural revitalization push. But what does that mean in practice?

Harry den Hartog

The Forgotten Drivers of China’s ‘Hanfu’ Movement

Overseas Chinese, especially students, have embraced the traditional garb as a way to stay connected with China.

Fan Chen

The World According to Xiaohongshu

How China’s most popular lifestyle app leads — and misleads — young tourists.

Yuan Ye

What Drives China’s Helicopter Parents?

The author, a sociologist, on the real reasons for the rise of China’s ultracompetitive “chicken-blood” parents.

Li Angran

In China, a Debate Over What Makes Calligraphy ‘Good’

Tian Yingzhang may have been contemporary China’s best-known calligrapher. But was he any good?