civil society

civil-society

Throwing Shapes: The Rave Experience for Deaf Clubbers

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

SIXTH TONE ×

BassBath is a clubbing experience in Shanghai designed to be deaf-friendly while promoting knowledge of sign language.

Ding  Jiayue

Ghost Marriages Under Scrutiny in East China After Teen’s Death

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

After the teenager’s death, her biological father has alleged that her adoptive parents arranged a ghost marriage for her with a deceased boy and received 66,000 yuan in return.

Zhu Junxi

How Residents Are Rebuilding Shanghai’s Urban Communities

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

MULTIMEDIA

Echo Fu

Child Sex Abuse in Rural China Is Still Being Overlooked, Report Finds

China has made strides in tackling child sexual abuse over the past decade. But crimes are still far more likely to go unreported in rural areas, a new report has found.

Yang Caini

Shanghai Wetland Supporters Win Fight Against Forest Plans

The Chinese government has backed away from plans to redevelop coastal marshes that host protected wildlife.

Yuan Ye

China’s Female Students Want to Abolish Girls’ Day

Fed up with sexist, paternalistic “well-wishes” on Girls’ Day, young women on college campuses are fighting to reclaim International Women’s Day and the feminist values it was founded on.

Zhang Wanqing

Students Protest Proposed Reinstatement of Prof Accused of Abuse

Two years after Wang Pan was accused of driving a student to commit suicide, Wuhan University of Technology moved to reinstate his advisory role. Thousands have signed an open letter opposing the decision.

Dancing With Ghosts, Student Group Exorcises Archaic Tradition

The centuries-old ritual of “ghost marriage” — a breeding ground for human trafficking — lives on in parts of rural China.

Cai Xuejiao

Chen Qi’an

Want to Improve Mental Health Care? Try Throwing a ‘Pity Party.’

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

VOICES & OPINION

China’s overworked and underappreciated mental health care workers and advocates need space to share ideas, exchange experiences, and vent.

Xiao Ka

Period Poverty Alleviation Campaign Takes Root on China’s Campuses

A Chinese feminist group inspired female students at over 120 universities to support each other with free feminine hygiene products, but some young men can’t resist bathroom-humor reactions.

What David Graeber Could Have Meant to China

The “anarchist anthropologist” may never have been a household name in the country, but his work offers real insight into the problems faced by many Chinese.

Cai Yineng

China’s Students Protest Campus Lockdowns, Reduced National Holidays

Several domestic universities are holding classes during the weeklong break, and students are complaining of excessive coronavirus control measures.

Du Xinyu

Shenzhen Mulls Protections for Public Health Whistleblowers

A recently announced draft regulation would set up a public health hotline and protect the safety and privacy of whistleblowers “acting in good faith.”

China’s Web Fiction Writers Strike Over Copyright Confusion

Fearing new leadership in their publishing group could lead to reduced rights and incomes, thousands of online authors protested by not updating their serialized novels.

Kenrick Davis

How Wuhan Cared for Pandemic’s ‘Temporary Orphans’

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

With thousands of moms and dads sick or quarantined, volunteers lent a parenting hand.

Wang Lianzhang

Civic Groups Want to Help Fight COVID-19. So Why’s It So Hard?

Chinese social organizations have played important roles in past disaster relief efforts. Why were officials less receptive this time?

Cai Yiwen

In a City Under Lockdown, a Race to Deliver Anti-HIV Drugs

In virus-stricken Wuhan, patients are struggling to access antiviral medication. Volunteer networks have emerged to help them.

Life on Wuhan’s Virtual Front Lines

As the city grapples with a deadly coronavirus outbreak, residents, doctors, and experts have organized counseling and support groups online.

He Huijuan

In Virus-Stricken Hubei, Locals Keep Hospitals Supplied

After citywide lockdowns brought much of Hubei province to a standstill, local volunteers provided overstretched hospitals with vital support. But the government is now starting to seize back control.

Whistleblower Threatened for Exposing Reform School Abuse

Two years after an internet addiction treatment academy was closed down, Wei Jiafu says he and fellow activists are still being targeted with intimidation and death threats.