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

Cat Clause: Pet ‘Loan’ Disputes Spread in China

Nationwide complaints about cat “adoption” businesses are exposing the darker side of China’s booming pet industry.

Ding Rui

Balancing Act: Can ‘Mom Jobs’ Help China’s Women Have It All?

Flexible-hour jobs are allowing more mothers to juggle work and childcare, but with most positions in low-skilled sectors, there’s a risk of only reinforcing gender roles.

Fan Yiying

Yang  Yuchen

Fade to Black: What Lies Beneath China’s Lake of Legends

Nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, a lake in southwestern China is drawing a steady stream of divers. Its pull: challenging diving conditions and the tales of China’s own Atlantis hidden below.

Li Pasha

Golden Oldies: Aging Fans Fuel Pop Singer’s Comeback

After a decade away from the spotlight, musician Dao Lang has struck a chord with middle-aged and elderly fans for his grassroots style.

Jiang Xinyi

Road to Ruin: How China’s Motorcycle Influencers Risk It All for Views

In recent years, several young women motorcycle influencers have died in high-speed crashes. Their deaths have sparked widespread debate over the risks of pushing the limits for online attention.

China’s Only Solution Yet for Climate-Ravaged Villages: ‘Move Out’

One of Hunan’s largest-ever relocation drives seeks to move entire villages from disaster zones. While many whose homes were destroyed have already moved, those whose homes remain intact face a difficult decision.

Wu Huiyuan 

Rain, Ruin, Repeat: The Chinese Villages Caught in Climate Chaos

Months after the worst flooding Hunan province has seen in decades, villagers in the hardest-hit areas continue to struggle with displacement and instability. Experts warn that climate change is making such disasters more frequent and severe.

Snow Business: Inside China’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Winter Sports

This year’s Asian Winter Games hosted in China were about more than entertainment: They are also part of an economic plan to boost consumer spending.

Li Xin

Li Miaoran

Let It Burn: Why China Is Looking the Other Way on Farm Fires

After years of strict bans to curb pollution, China is reversing its zero-tolerance stance on crop burning, allowing controlled fires as officials navigate rural challenges and enforcement limits.

The Big Switch

China is producing EVs at an unprecedented scale, reshaping industries, economies, and daily life. Sixth Tone unpacks what’s working, what’s breaking down, and what’s next in a race that’s upending the global auto market.