tradition

‘It’s the Moon’s Fault’: China to Skip New Year’s Eve for Next 5 Years

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 quirk of China’s lunisolar calendar means the traditional day of Chinese New Year’s Eve — danian sanshi — will disappear until 2030.

Chen Yiru

China Rejoices as UNESCO Recognizes Spring Festival

The decision has gone massively viral in China, with many taking it as official recognition of the holiday’s Chinese origins.

Li Xin

Moonlight Legends: The Rabbits at the Center of Mid-Autumn Festival

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

MULTIMEDIA

Since ancient times, paper decorations depicting the moon-walking Jade Rabbit, as well as figurines of the Rabbit God, have been key components of this traditional Chinese holiday.

Sheng Wenqiang

In Black Myth: Wukong, China Sees a Game That Could Change Everything

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

Rooted in the classic novel “Journey to the West,” China’s first big-budget AAA video game has stunned the global gaming industry, drawing a record 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam at launch.

Fan Yiying

Li  Yanshu

Stitching Masculinity: The Tailor’s Son Who Defied Gender Norms

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

SIXTH TONE ×

As China’s societal norms evolve, Cantonese embroidery master Wang Xinyuan no longer feels the need to prove his masculinity and is eager to promote the traditional craft through social media.

Beijing Youth Daily

A Dying Business? Funeral Goods Stores Feel the Pinch

Efforts to ban “superstitious” products and changing traditions have put pressure on traders in a northern Chinese village famed for its funeral and memorial supplies.

Fir  Record

In Shanghai, a Café Blends Life, Death — and Coffee

At the Ferryman café, operated by a Shanghai funeral service company, patrons share personal stories about mortality over coffee. The café seeks to break down societal taboos and encourage open dialogue about life and death.

Ding Rui

Li Dongxu

Art of Adaptation: How Yue Opera Is Winning Over Young Chinese

Traditionally favored by older generations, Yue opera has seen a resurgence among young Chinese after the viral success of one theater’s adaptation of a classic ’90s action movie. Efforts are now underway to ensure its popularity is more than a passing trend.

Chu Jing Her

Chinese Surnames Are Changing. 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

Families are passing down maternal names and inventing compound surnames for their kids. Is it a sign of rising progressivism or merely patriarchy in another guise?

Xu Qi

Why China’s Coast Still Dances With the Gods

The country’s southeastern coastline is home to a surprisingly robust and well preserved sense of ritual. Bringing that spirit back to the rest of the country may be harder than it looks.

Yu Lunlun

How China Found New Value in Its Oldest Gods

Salt gods are at the center of some of China’s oldest — and most flexible— folk traditions.

Xu Shengnan

Link Between ‘Zhaodi’ Names and Clan Culture in China: New Study

In some parts of China, parents seeking a son name their daughters Zhaodi, a name that translates as “brother requested.”

The Former Journalist Trying to Reinvent Traditional Chinese Culture

Chen Jia rose to fame producing holiday specials for Henan TV. Now she’s setting her sights on a global audience.

Wu Haiyun

Gods on Parade: A New Year’s Tradition Keeps the Good Times Rolling

A colorful procession of deities forms an important part of the annual Spring Festival celebrations for rural communities in southeast China.

Wu Dong

The Many Faces of China’s Most Popular Deity

Good fortune comes in many forms. It only makes sense that the God of Wealth would, too.

Wu Shishu

Did Chinese Kiss?

It may seem like a silly question, but a new book by scholar Hu Wenhui tries to resolve the debate over whether kissing has always been a part of Chinese courtship.

Cai Yineng

Dreaming of Food in the Red Chamber

Food is practically a character unto itself in the classic novel “Dream of the Red Chamber.”

Thomas DuBois

Do Ready-Made Meals Belong at China’s New Year’s Table?

The rise of precooked versions of popular New Year’s dishes has traditionalists spitting mad, but they’re more than just lazy substitutes.

Li Xueshi

How the Dragon King Emerged From the Waves

About 2,000 years ago, Chinese began worshipping the mythical beast as the God of Water, praying for rain and protection.

Inside the Battle to Become China’s ‘King of Teas’

Wuyishan County makes some of the most expensive teas in the world. But who decides their value?