law & justice

law-&-justice

She Posted Her Father’s Death. Now China Probes a Murder at Sea.

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

The suspect, a crew member her father had helped hire, is in custody as the vessel returns to China for investigation.

Ding Rui

Married Chinese Women Are Buying Their Own Homes. Why?

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

VOICES & OPINION

In search of security, women and their families are increasingly buying homes for themselves before or during marriage.

Ji Yingchun

China Overhauls Heritage Law With Higher Fines, Stricter Oversight

To curb heritage destruction, the revised law also mandates stricter local oversight and removes time limits on reclaiming looted artifacts.

Jiang Xinyi

China’s Top Court Targets Telecom Fraud, Backs Harsher Sentences

Highlighting several cases, the Supreme People’s Court reaffirmed its commitment to imposing severe punishments, including life sentences for leaders of fraud rings.

Can News Survive the Rise of AI?

A 2019 court decision helped lay the groundwork for AI news in China. But protections for media outlets are sorely needed.

Joanne Kuai

The Forgotten Scholars Who Brought Chinese Laws to the World

How do you make Confucian concepts legible to international scholars of law?

Wu Jingjian

Who’s the Boss? China’s Top Court Spells Out Gig Worker Rights

A series of court rulings in China addresses labor rights in the country’s fast-growing platform economy.

He Qitong

China Passes Landmark Preschool Education Law

The new law aims to prevent unqualified and poorly trained teachers from finding work in the sector, after a string of scandals.

Her Dog Was Poisoned. Now She’s Fighting to Reform Pet Laws in China.

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

After her dog was poisoned, Li Yihan’s pursuit of justice has become a landmark legal battle, one that could bring significant changes to China’s approach to pet protection laws.

Caught on Camera: Smart Locks Spark Privacy Battles

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Disputes between neighbors across China about the potential use of footage captured on home security devices have ignited a debate on privacy protection.

The  Beijing News

Is China’s Juvenile Delinquency Problem Really Getting Worse?

Amid high-profile reports of young people committing heinous crimes, a criminologist dives into the data to get a better sense of the scale and severity of China’s juvenile delinquency problem.

Xu Boyang

In Analysis: Lawsuit Sparks Debate on China’s Therapy Standards

A high-profile dispute between celebrity psychologist Li Songwei and a former client has led to discussion on the oversight for professional counselors in China.

The Paper

Why a New Women’s Law Has China Debating Property Rights

Starting June 1, Fujian province will allow women to legally access their partners’ property details without lengthy court proceedings. Critics argue the law favors women, but officials assert it does not infringe on men's rights.

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.

In China, Parents Turn to ‘Magic Potions’ to Help Kids Run Faster

China has made sports a core subject in its national high school entrance exams. The result: a booming market for dubious performance-enhancing products.

China Moves Toward Ban on Japanese-Style ‘Maid Cafés’ 

A Chinese court has ruled that the controversial businesses violate women’s right to personal dignity.

Yang Caini

Uptick in Crime Against Minors in China Amid Rising Internet Use

While authorities have intensified efforts to bolster judicial protections for minors, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate emphasized that evolving criminal activity online poses new challenges for legal authorities.

Fan Yiying

Amid Gaps, China Makes Gains in Fighting Domestic Violence: Report

Compiled by a Beijing-based nonprofit, the report analyzed all publicly available media reports and cases since China’s landmark law against domestic violence came into effect on March 1, 2016.

Chinese Court Denies Father’s Claim to Children’s ‘Lucky Money’

Ruling on a divorce case, the court split all marital assets equally but rejected the father’s bid for money previously gifted to his children, emphasizing that such assets belong to them.

China’s Top Court Takes Aim at Owners of Aggressive Dogs 

Dog owners can be held liable even in cases where their dogs do not make contact with injured parties.