Maotai Drifters: Work and Life in China’s Liquor Capital

Photographer Ma Changyu, a former worker in Maotai, documents the surreal contrasts of solitude and bustle that define the baijiu-producing town

GALLERY

A Man, Three Pairs of Flip-Flops, and 574 Kilometers of Hike Home

Young artist Guo “Slipper King” Dingfen is rebranding a maligned footwear from his hometown into a collective memory of a generation

FOOD

Getting Sour: How Guizhou’s Sour Soup Went National

While the southwestern province’s fermented soup has grown in popularity over the past several years, businesses still face challenges promoting it as a debate over “authentic flavors” continues to simmer

Women of China: Past, Present, Future

China has undergone a notable feminist cultural shift in recent years, with young women increasingly embracing feminist ideas—even as many continue to struggle for recognition in both their careers and family life. At The World of Chinese, we are committed to telling stories from women’s perspectives. Explore our collection on Chinese women, from antiquity to the present day.

READ

Essential Reads from The Commercial Press

Explore a world of original Chinese books and translations from The Commercial Press, the proud parent of The World of Chinese

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Kids smartwatches in China
TECHNOLOGY

“Bumping” Into Adolescence: Kids’ Smartwatches and the Battleground Between Safety and Control

Children’s smartwatches have become big business in China, but do their safety features outweigh the potential risks to attention spans and social inclusion?

Chinese Horse lantern
TRADITIONAL CULTURE

A Festival of Lights: How Lanterns Illuminate the Yuanxiao Festival Across China

From cyberpunk horse installations to “My Little Pony”-inspired lanterns, here’s a glimpse of how the Lantern Festival is lighting up every corner of the country

passport history-cover
ANCIENT HISTORY

Power on a Paper: The Passport in Chinese History

Before the small, biometric-chipped booklet we now clutch when crossing borders, travel credentials in ancient China took many forms—from tokens and staffs to records inscribed on bamboo slips

WZF_8877
TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Where Heroines Take the Reins

There’s no better way to celebrate the Year of the Horse than with Xiaxi’s all-female horse-themed parade

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