chen-yiru

TikTok to Tariffs: The Obscure Chinese App US Shoppers Just Found

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

DHgate, a two-decade-old wholesale app, is suddenly surging in the U.S. as shoppers rush to buy before new tariffs take effect.

In Shanghai, All That Glitters Can Be Sold — at an ATM for Gold

In a corner of a busy Shanghai mall, a vending machine buys and sells gold as record prices draw both old and young to trade.

Before the Dawn: Young Chinese Reimagine the Last Goodbye

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

A growing number of young Chinese are challenging long-held taboos around death, turning farewells into personal, creative acts of remembrance.

Need a Side Gig? In China, Just Shake Your Phone

As flexible work becomes more common in China, WeChat users can now find nearby part-time jobs — directly from the messaging super app.

After Five Years, Chinese Travel Agencies Eye a Return to North Korea

The country briefly reopened to non-Russian tourists for the first time in five years in February, only to suspend entry again in March.

Now or Naver: The Korean Apps Packing Shanghai’s Restaurants

China’s visa-free policy opened the doors. Naver and Instagram showed them where to go. Now, South Korean tourists are flocking to a handful of Shanghai restaurants, and businesses are scrambling to keep up.

Matryoshka Marketing: What’s Really Inside China’s Russian Shops

Regulators are cracking down on self-proclaimed Russian goods stores selling products from around the world — including China.

Shigatse Earthquake: Over 120 Dead as Rescuers Battle Cold and Rubble

As officials warn of more tremors, rescue teams comb through collapsed homes in search of survivors, and medical experts and emergency supplies pour into the affected region.

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

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

China’s Facebook Goes Dark, Taking a Generation’s Memories With It

Renren captured campus life, friendships, and milestones before smartphones and cloud storage. This week, its sudden suspension left a generation scrambling to salvage their digital past.

A Hubei TCM Clinic Promised to Cure Cancer. Then the Deaths Began.

Officials looking into how a clinic lured hundreds with bold cancer cure claims have uncovered illegal practices, unqualified staff, and dangerous remedies linked to multiple deaths.