generations

Big City Dreams, Small-Town Realities for China’s Rural Youth

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

As more rural youth return to their hometowns due to employment, family, or big city life pressure, small cities are serving as a buffer zone between their dreams and reality.

Wang Defu

Young Chinese Have Almost No Concerns About AI, Survey Finds

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

A new study has found that China’s Gen-Z are strikingly unfazed by the risks posed by artificial intelligence. They are far more concerned about how to use AI to make money — and feel less lonely.

He Qitong

Li Dongxu

How a Local Police Station Became China’s Hottest Holiday Destination

A hit documentary has turned a police station in the central city of Changsha into a viral hotspot — and caused some unease among local authorities.

Ding Rui

Last Dance: Medical Condition Leads to Deeper Appreciation of Mothers’ Sacrifice

A common gynecological condition has sparked discussion on the cost of childbirth between mothers and daughters, highlighting the sacrifice women make for their children.

Chen Yihan

On China’s Streets, Young Vendors Toil for Money, Friendship, and Freedom

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Lü Xiao

Torn in Two: Balancing Motherhood and a Career in China

A 36-year-old mother and career woman describes her struggle in balancing these two roles in China in the new nonfiction book “A Room Facing South” that shares memoirs by 22 women.

China 30s

For China’s Gen-Z, Entrepreneurship Represents a Ticket to Freedom

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

Starting a business in China’s pandemic-stricken economy is far from easy. Young Chinese are plowing ahead anyway.

Fan Yiying

Chang Minxiao

The Teenagers Revitalizing China’s Sports Prospects

For decades, China’s sporting prowess has been built on a state-driven system that excels at drilling athletes in traditional Olympic disciplines. But a new generation of young stars is determined to break the mold.

Li Pasha

After 3 Years of COVID, China’s Gen-Z Face a Tough New Reality

For young Chinese, the pandemic hasn’t just brought years of lockdowns; it has fundamentally altered their expectations for the future — and their understanding of their place in society.

Chen Jiangyi

China’s Gen-Z Is Entering the Workforce. Employers Are Terrified.

Chinese companies have long pressured staff to work grueling hours for no extra pay. Militant Gen-Z staff are fighting back.

Lars Hamer

Joining the Rat Race: The Challenges for China’s Young Jobseekers

The Paper

Infinite Scroll: The Making of China’s Web Fiction Epics

Though uncomplicated, formulaic, and phenomenally successful, mobile web fiction in China is serious business.

Zhu Di

An Ni

Anger and Sorrow in a Henan Graveyard

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

VOICES & OPINION

Although China has made progress balancing its sex ratio at birth, the pressure to have a son is still omnipresent in many women’s lives.

Zhou Wei

Anthropologist Xiang Biao on China’s Involuted Generation

The renowned anthropologist shares his views on the theme of our China Writing Contest.

Sixth Tone

China’s Factory Children and Their Splendid, Closed-Off Youth

A generation of Chinese people grew up on socialist-era compounds that formed their own little societies.

Xinwen Xuesheng

Who Will Care for China’s Aging Population? The Elderly.

In a rapidly graying China, cities are having to get creative to fill a massive gap in social care. The latest solution: encouraging seniors to take care of each other.

The 24-Year-Old Master In (Old School) Communication

How 24-year-old Lülü uses expressions and language that China’s elderly prefer to bridge the widening age gap.

Gao Min

The Feminist Rapper Who Refuses to Be Silenced

Hip-hop star Yang Yuzhen is striving to inspire China’s girls to stand up for gender equality. The price: a torrent of online abuse.

Du Xinyu

Chen Qi’an

Crammer vs. Crammer: Notes from a Civil Service Crash Course

Every year, millions of mid-career Chinese employees fight it out for highly competitive government jobs, enticed by the security and benefits they provide.

Liu Xiaoyun

For Gay Migrants, Cruising Spots Aren’t Just Shadows and Shame

Largely abandoned by middle-class gays, urban parks remain an important refuge for gay migrants in an otherwise hostile city.