LIFE
From Janitor to Painter: “With Art, I Have Somewhere to Unload My Burden”
How 50-year-old “cleaning auntie” Wang Liuyun discovered freedom in painting
First Person
SOCIETY
Memoirs of a ‘Postpartum Nanny’
“We have no hope of being seen as human”: a writer recalls her mother’s struggles as a ‘yuesao,’ a nanny specializing in newborn and new mother care
SOCIETY
I Was a Funeral Home Worker, Making Sales Pitches About Death
Staking out hospitals, meeting body quotas: a “body transporter” shares his memories from the competitive undertaking of death
LIVING IN CHINA
Heavy Smoke, Arsonists, Human Tragedies: 8 Years in the Life of a Chinese Firefighter
A former firefigher reflects on human emotions and fragility of life in the course of his dangerous career
LIFE
As a Rural Doctor, I Don’t Want to Pass the Baton
A second-generation village physician reflects on the decline of her profession and its uncertain future over a 20-year career
LIFE
A Middle-Aged Nanny’s Literary Dreams in the City
Leaving behind an abusive marriage, a migrant worker from the countryside discovered a literature club and reignited her dreams of writing
ENVIRONMENT
March of the Elephants: Stories from Behind a Lens
Director Olivia Chen talks about filming an elephant herd on a march through Yunnan province
SOCIETY
Meet the Young People Working as Security Guards
More and more young people are taking jobs as security guards, positions normally reserved for middle-aged migrant workers—why?
SOCIETY
The “Bangbang” Laborer Who Saved Me From the Streets
When my father kicked me out, one of Chongqing’s “bangbang” porters took me in
TRADITIONAL CULTURE
Saving Traditional Chinese Music, One TikTok at a Time
Faced with dwindling interest and pandemic restrictions, traditional Chinese musicians turn to the internet to make a living and preserve their dying…
SOCIETY
A Chinese Textile Worker’s Two Decades of Dreams in South Africa
How two generations of a Chinese migrant family established a foothold halfway across the world
ENVIRONMENT
Surviving a Summer of Extremes
Ordinary people from Chongqing and Sichuan share how they survived the heat waves and wildfires
