China’s Dejected Youth Find a New Anti-Hero: a ‘Trashy’ Wannabe Rapper

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

Aspiring hip-hop star Big Sponge has few fans, fewer friends, and so little money that he has to collect recycling waste to make some extra cash. But his story — captured in the award-winning film “Trashy Boy” — has resonated with disaffected young Chinese.

In China, a New Generation of Climate Activists Suddenly Emerges

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

Young Chinese are increasingly moving into environmental campaigning — a reaction to the growing impact of global warming on China, but also the shrinking space for feminist and labor rights groups.

Xi’an Confronts an Unusual Challenge: a Surfeit of Ancient Tombs

China wants to protect its historical relics from new urban development projects. But that’s no simple task in Xi’an — a city where imperial tombs are seemingly everywhere.

Dinosaur Demise Started Millennia Before Asteroid Crash: Study

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

New research says that declining numbers due to the changing climate made it difficult for the reptiles to adapt.

Citing COVID, China Discourages Domestic Holiday Travel, Again 

The strict travel rules come amid an uptick in coronavirus cases across the country.

China’s Heat Wave Is Hitting Its Agricultural Sector Hard

Farmers in the worst-affected areas say they’ve lost crops and money — and they’re worried about future extreme weather.

Floods Kill 17 in Northwest China

While torrential rain is flooding a normally dry part of China, usually wet areas are drying out amid an extended drought.

Anhui Asks Factories, Gov’t Offices to Save Power as Demand Soars

Officials have been urged to reduce elevator usage and public offices ordered to maintain certain air conditioning temperatures.

Heat Death at a Freight Depot

Climate change-fueled extreme heat is challenging China’s labor protections.

Mass Red, Yellow Health Codes Confuse Henan County Residents 

Authorities said they have “corrected” the actions intended to curb COVID-19 cases in Minquan County.

Chinese Paddlefish That Outlived Dinosaurs Now Extinct, IUCN Says

All the 26 remaining species of sturgeon globally are now at risk of extinction due to human activities and climate change.

Courts Use Carbon Credits to Penalize Environmental Rule-Breakers 

Experts are concerned about introducing such a mechanism without an institutional framework.

In Cambodia, a Network Rescuing Trafficked Chinese Teens Is Unraveling

Cyber criminals rely on forced labor. A recent scandal spurred authorities to crack down — not just on the gangs, but also on those trying to set their victims free.

New Omicron Variant Triggers Weeklong Lockdown in Xi’an

The city’s infections are driven by the highly infectious BA.5.2 subvariant.

In South China, the Early Summer Harvest is Washing Away

Erratic weather is causing sporadic crop failure across China.

Prominent Chinese Lawyer Zhang Sizhi Dies at 94

He was called the “conscience of Chinese lawyers” for promoting the defense of human rights.

China Sees Floods, Tornadoes, and Record High Temperatures 

At least 52 people have been killed so far in floods since late May.

China’s Solar Projects Raise Land Grabbing Concerns

Farmers in Xingtang County claim a new energy company bulldozed their land and livelihoods to make way for solar panels.

Revived Poyang Lake Dam Project Sparks Ecological Concerns, Again 

Conservationists are concerned that construction could potentially damage the habitat of flora and fauna in the area.

Chinese Band Uses Lockdown Metaphors as Tour Titles

Backspace postpones domestic concerts amid the coronavirus outbreak with a fitting name for their rearranged tour: “Let’s Try Again.”