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One Card to Rule Them All: The History of China’s ID System
How Chinese ID cards evolved from simple handwritten cards in 1984, to sophisticated digital documents essential for everything from riding the train to playing video games
A Brief History of China’s Hotel Industry
How China’s hotels transformed from exclusive spaces for the privileged to accommodation for the masses
30 Years of Choosing College Majors in China
How did Chinese students earn the right to choose their own majors, and how did the most popular choices evolve over time?
SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
Industrial Evolution: Turning Old Factories into New Cultural Parks
Can heritage protection projects give new life to China’s abandoned factories?
The Traveling Projectionists Who Brought Entertainment to Farmers
Zhao Jishan, “the movie man,” spent years dragging a mobile cinema through rural China to bring entertainment to the villages
The Last Maoist Village in China
We take a trip to every Maoist’s favorite travel destination: Nanjie Village
SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
How English Went from Imperialist Treachery to Lingua Franca
While English language education was once practically forbidden, decades of reform have turned it into massive business
How the Bikini Finally Came to China
From swimming across the Yangtze in the 60s to indecency scandals in the 80s: 30 years of swimwear history in China
SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
Children of the Corn: How Pan Dehai’s “Fatties” Distort the Past and Present
Painter Pan Dehai talks with TWOC about the ’85 New Wave movement and the reception of his cute but satiric political works
How China Ended 30 Years in the Olympics Wilderness
In 1984, the PRC defied a Soviet boycott to attend its first Olympics in 32 years
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