SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
SOCIETY

The Price of Beauty Online

Critique of influencers has become a weapon for shaming female internet users

LANGUAGE

Piecing Together New Phrases from Old

How “online language artists” combine simple phrases into their own internet language

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
ENTERTAINMENT

Viral Revival: Making Traditional Clothing Cool Again

Fashion influencer Ao Luojia talks about internet fame and updating traditional “hanfu” for modern tastes

LANGUAGE

The Art of Saying Nothing

Chinese netizens have become experts at “feihua wenxue”: using superfluous language to get out of any awkward situation

LANGUAGE

Words to Sum Up 2021

Results of the annual Chinese Pandian competition reveal the hottest characters, words, and phrases of the year

SOCIETY

The Top Brand Scandals of 2021

Sexist, discriminatory, and dishonest brands that met the wrath of Chinese consumers this year

ENTERTAINMENT

The Murky Management Companies Behind China’s Biggest Internet Stars

Li Ziqi, one of China’s most popular vloggers, has fallen out with her management company—what does that mean for the industry?

SOCIETY

How Fame Ripped Apart a Historic Shanghai Neighborhood

Shanghai’s viral former French Concession is attracting hordes of tourists, whose presence is raising rents and anxiety for locals

DIALECTS

Preserving Chinese Dialects One Wikipedia Entry at a Time

The amateurs trying to preserve Chinese dialects via Wikipedia

NEWS

Viral Week: Snowstorms Batter North China and Other Trending News

Northern China sees snowstorms and lowest temperatures for a decade, another scandal for pop idol Zhou Zhennan, esports team claim League of Legends World Championship—it’s Viral Week