health

Myopia Soaring Among Chinese School Students: New Survey

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

Citing increased screen time and academic pressure, the study shows the prevalence of myopia among high schoolers is 89.7%.

Li Xin

China Is Getting Seriously Worried About Student Anxiety

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

In 2021, China made reducing the academic pressure on students a top policy priority. But anxiety disorders in schools are still a severe problem — and appear to be affecting more children at younger ages.

Ni Dandan

In China, an Unseen and Dangerous Foe Takes Root: Lethal Fungi

The fungal apocalypse portrayed in “The Last of Us” may be fiction. But between climate change and habitat loss, the threat from adapting fungi is real.

Li Pasha

‘Traumatizing’: The Transgender Chinese Struggling to Access Health Care

A mix of intolerance and bureaucratic inertia inside China’s health system is leaving young trans people unable to access vital treatment — with dire consequences for their mental health.

Qing Na

Breastfeeding at Work: Why China’s Moms Need a Room of Their Own

By 2025, China hopes over half of all infants are exclusively breastfed in their first six months. But most workplaces lack even basic facilities.

Wang Lianzhang

China Is Trying to Boost Fertility. Can Its Sperm Banks Keep Up?

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 sometimes talked about as a solution to the country’s falling birth rate, the country’s assisted reproductive technology facilities, including sperm banks, aren’t ready for prime time.

Ayo Wahlberg

Chinese Netizens Celebrate Court Ruling Exposing ‘WeChat Overtime’

A Beijing court has ordered compensation to an employee for “invisible overtime work,” but the ruling may not necessarily be applicable elsewhere.

Chinese Office Workers Plagued by Bad Gastro Health, Survey Finds

Poor diets and hectic work schedules are to be blamed for the health issues.

Ye Zhanhang

It Was Rural China’s Top Mental Health Clinic. Then, It Disappeared.

In 2021, a Chinese hospital made national headlines after opening one of the country’s first rural psychiatric facilities. Months later, the clinic shut down under mysterious circumstances.

Jiangsu Cities Add Mechanism to Report Pregnant Minors

Local authorities say it’s an attempt to investigate possible violations and better protect minors.

Yang Caini

China’s White-Collar Workers Have a Sleep Problem 

Many officegoers say work-related chats and the likelihood of their bosses messaging keep them awake late into the night.

Eating Disorder Awareness Campaign Gains Momentum in China

Many young Chinese have never heard of eating disorders, and this lack of awareness makes the conditions even more dangerous. But a grassroots campaign is starting to put the issue on the public agenda.

Fan Yiying

Children’s Slime Toys Under Scrutiny Over Toxic Chemical

One nonprofit is calling for the improvement of toy safety standards in China.

In Shanghai, Tobacco Use Goes Up in Smoke, Hits Record Low 

While just under 20% of adults in the city are still addicted, smoking in no-tobacco zones has dipped too.

In IVF Mix-Up, Anhui Couple was Given the Wrong Embryo

A court ordered the hospital in question to take full responsibility, pay family compensation.

In China’s COVID Battle, Medical Students Bear a Punishing Burden

As COVID surged in China last December, hospitals drafted in medical students to prop up understaffed wards. Many were unprepared for what awaited them.

Chang Minxiao

‘It’s Finally Over,’ Say Doctors in China as COVID Cases Ebb

While the government announced late in January that the current wave had ended, hospitals say operations are slowly returning to normal.

To Aid Birth Rate, China Adds Fertility Treatment to Insurance

While recent surveys show over 10% of married couples have infertility problems, assisted reproductive technologies come at a high financial cost.

Reporter’s Notebook: How Rural China Is Grappling With COVID

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

MULTIMEDIA

Fu Beimeng

Xue Haolin

Jiangsu Proposes Free Autism Screening for Children 

China’s top health authority estimates that every 7 out of 1,000 children have autism spectrum disorder.