FICTION
A Fruitful Year | Short Story
A mother and daughter's life is transformed by the unlikely arrival of a boy, a man, and a pigeon
TRAVEL
Pigs and Party Games: Celebrating Chinese New Year, Dongbei Style
Folk customs and culture of Northeast China during the Lunar New Year
FILM
The Enduring Allure of Old Shanghai
Why even TV shows set in the 1990s lean into aesthetics from nearly a century earlier
TRADITIONAL CULTURE
How One Village Sows the Seeds of Wealth at Lunar New Year
The people of Fengxi village celebrate the Lunar New Year with a unique folk ritual involving sugarcane, deities, and fire
SOCIAL CHINESE
Learn the Deceptive Language of China’s Matchmakers
How to decipher the exaggerations and deceptions of matchmaking professionals
IDIOMS
Choice Chengyu | Idioms for the Year of the Dragon
Kick off the Year of the Dragon with some useful Chinese “chengyu” about this mythical creature
STREET TALK
Learn Chinese Greetings Perfect for the Year of the Dragon
Use puns, poems, and memes to welcome in the Year of the Dragon
FEMINISM
Her Havens: The Struggle Over Female-Only Spaces
Female-only spaces are proliferating, but not everybody is happy about it
FOOD
Stripped Down: The Story Behind China’s Favorite Snack
How simple, greasy, cheap “latiao” (literally ”spicy strips“) became the people’s snack
EDUCATION
No Time to Teach
Facing more bureaucratic formalities, overwork, and dwindling respect, many of China’s teachers are leaving the profession for good
TRADITIONAL CULTURE
Celebrating Chinese Little New Year
China’s Lunar New Year celebrations begin with rituals and offerings to the kitchen god
LIVING IN CHINA
Skyline Stories
Chronicling the modern history of Beijing’s apartment buildings on camera
