ANCIENT HISTORY, CHINESE CHARACTERS

Speaking Ill: How Ancient Chinese Talked About Sickness

From denoting various levels of illness to the “Gods of Plague,” 疒 is a radical you need to know in sickness or health

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
ANCIENT HISTORY

The Relic Hunter: One Man’s Race to Save China’s Old Cultural Landscapes

Amateur conservation Yang Fan has explored thousands of little-known historic sites in China, while trying to raise awareness for the need to protect these treasures before they disappear

TRAVEL

House of Mao: How Consumerism and Patriotism Collide in the Chairman’s Hometown

Shaoshan, Chairman Mao’s birthplace in Hunan province, has become a top tourist site where people burn incense to the revolutionary hero while selling T-shirts of his face

ANCIENT HISTORY

The Surprisingly Ancient Origins of Christmas in China

From Christians in the Tang dynasty to all-night parties in early 1900s Shanghai, the Western holiday has a longer history in China than most people think

ANCIENT HISTORY

Orphans’ Ordeals in Ancient China

How were children without parents treated in ancient history?

Culture

How the Xinhua Dictionary Defined the Way China Thinks and Talks

From encyclopedia to political pamphlet to standard classroom reading: 70 years in the history of China’s bestselling dictionary

HISTORY

The British Spy Who Cracked the Secret to Chinese Tea

How a 19th-century act of “corporate espionage” changed world history

PHOTO STORY

70 Years of Frozen Fun on Beijing’s Icy Lakes

Winter fun on Beijing’s natural ice rinks throughout history

IDIOMS

Book-lovers in Ancient Times

Stories and idioms about seven people who overcame challenging obstacles to read

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Rediscovering Zhang Qian

How a low-ranking Han dynasty courtier came to be known as the founder of the Silk Road

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