transport

A New Look: Can China’s EV Boom Rescue Its Design Industry?

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 carmakers are spending wildly on dealerships, accessories, and branding. For designers still reeling from the real estate crash, it’s been an unexpected lifeline.

Cai Yineng

Fare Play: China Targets Ride-Hailing Drivers Using Fraud Software

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

Authorities investigate drivers using illicit software to inflate fares, fake locations, and bypass ride-hailing platform rules.

Fan Yiying

The Big Switch

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

China is producing EVs at an unprecedented scale, reshaping industries, economies, and daily life. Sixth Tone unpacks what’s working, what’s breaking down, and what’s next in a race that’s upending the global auto market.

Sixth Tone

The Missing Link in China’s EV Boom: Who Will Fix Them?

EVs now make up more than half of new car sales in China. But a shortage of skilled repair technicians threatens to slow the momentum.

Ding Rui

China’s EVs Are Smart, Green, and Cheap — Until They Aren’t

For millions of Chinese EV owners, early promises of affordability, convenience, and cutting-edge tech are now tested by aging batteries, replacement costs, and warranties.

He Qitong

The Chinese City Betting Everything on Tiny Cars

In Liuzhou, compact EVs reshaped the city’s economy, daily life, and identity. Now, it offers a blueprint for small cities looking to ride China’s electric wave.

The Motor Cities Behind China’s EV Empire

China’s push to dominate the EV market starts in factory towns deep in the countryside, where assembly lines run day and night and life is tethered to nonstop production.

Jiang Xinyi

Wu Huiyuan 

The Foot Soldiers Steering China’s EV Ambitions Abroad

China exported more than a million EVs in 2024. But between a price war at home and trade tensions abroad, the industry’s future depends on a handful of expat sellers.

Li Xin

China Wants Scooters to Slow Down. Will It Work?

New rules cap the maximum speed of scooters nationwide, but the focus on riders over drivers may not be entirely fair, says Shanghai urbanist Liu Yuanju.

Liu Yuanju

China Intervenes to Prop Up Struggling Local Bus Services

As some bus companies teeter on the brink of insolvency, the central government has ordered local authorities to find the money to keep services operational.

Did Chinese Public Transport Firms Miss the Bus on New Energy?

Privately operated bus companies are struggling under a mountain of debt. It didn’t have to be this way.

Liu Daizong

In Wuhan, Robotaxis Put China’s Self-Driving Ambitions to the Test

With government support and backing from tech giants, robotaxis are rapidly integrating into daily life in China. But the rollout is sparking a nationwide debate.

Ye Zhanhang

Wang Jingyang

Steering Through Shanghai: A Taxi Driver’s Perspective

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

SIXTH TONE ×

​​An outsider’s perspective reveals the hidden facets of Shanghai’s taxi culture.

Li Enjie

Shanghai’s Forgotten Ferries: A Commuter’s Tale

Despite modernization, Shanghai’s ferries continue to connect diverse lives across the Huangpu River.

SHer Life

Guangdong Highway Disaster: Authorities Probe Cause, Toll Now 48

The Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in southern China collapsed on the first day of this year’s five-day Labor Day holiday. The mishap has been attributed to recent heavy rainfall and complex geological conditions.

Xiaomi Enters China’s EV Race, Targets Tesla With Lower Pricing

The smartphone and consumer electronic giant’s entry into an already crowded EV market is likely to increase competition and drive industry-wide efforts to reduce costs.

Cold Snap: China’s North Feels the Chill, South to Soon Follow Suit

At the Tuerhong Township station in the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the temperature plummeted to minus 52 degrees Celsius, its lowest since 1960.

Icy Roads and Snowstorms Freeze China’s Holiday Travel Rush

Across central China, severe winter weather has caused disruptions to Spring Festival travel, leading to traffic jams, highway closures, and stranded travelers.

Designated High-Speed Train Compartment for Children Excites Netizens 

Weary Chinese travelers have long complained about rowdy children on high-speed trains.

Yang Caini

Spring Festival Travelers Fret as Extreme Weather Arrives

Some are bringing forward their travel plans to reduce the risk of cancellations and disruptions.