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Issue 2 - Cover 202402.汉语世界-大big-1
2024 ISSUE 2

Viral Attractions

China’s domestic tourism is booming, and social media is fueling it. In our cover story this issue, we examine how virality is transforming travel by making previously unknown destinations tourist hotspots, helping and harming local communities, and pushing some people to extreme lengths to avoid the new crowds. Also in this magazine, we investigate what it’s like working in the booming micro-drama industry; report on the growing trend for AI resurrection; examine how video games change players’ perceptions of Chinese history and culture; dive into artist Huang Heshan’s urban dreamscapes; and ask why it’s so difficult to adapt The Three-Body Problem. We also teach you the Chinese phrases you need to become a travel blogger, offer the latest book, movie, and video game recommendations, and much more.
Viral Attractions Infographic
202402.汉语世界-跨页spread-12
Viral Resurrection Cover
Urban Dreamscapes Cover
Golden Egg Cover

From this issue

Caoxian Cover
TRAVEL

Viral Hinterland: The Famous Chinese County That No One Visits

Journeying through the viral Shandong county netizens once dubbed the “center of the universe”

Quest for Quiet Cover
TRAVEL

The Quest for Quiet: Can “Reverse Travel” Save China’s Tourists From Holiday Crowds?

Between crowded tourist hotspots and boring small towns, young vacationers struggle to find a middle ground

three body adaption
TV

Three-Body Conundrum: Why Liu Cixin’s Trilogy Defies Adaptation

Three-Body’s epic scale and its fiercely guarded fan base present challenges to adaptations

Huang Heshan Cover
DESIGN

Too Rich: Wealth and Peril in Huang Heshan’s City Dreamscapes

Artist Huang Heshan’s cyberpunk metropolis celebrates and critiques modern urban life, weaving together rich human connections with the looming dangers of modernization

Tourists checking in
SOCIETY

Behind the Fame: What Makes a Viral Travel Destination?

How cities fight for tourists with social media marketing and enhanced hospitality, despite the strain visitors place on local infrastructure

DD内文--web 拷贝(3)
FICTION

Countryside Police Station: International Repercussions | Short Story

Author A Yi’s tale of bureaucracy and absurdity behind county officials’ futile attempt to put out a fire

掼蛋web 拷贝(1) designed by Cai Tao
ENTERTAINMENT

Throwing Eggs: How “Guandan” Became China’s Favorite Card Game

The regional card game “guandan,” literally “throwing eggs,” has become one of the country’s most popular social activities

DD--web 拷贝(3)
FICTION

Countryside Police Station: An Unsolved Case | Short Story

Novelist A Yi’s satirical take on how county police “solved” a case of theft at a local chemical plant

OTC 拷贝
CHINESE CHARACTERS

游: Learn the Chinese Character for Journeys and Adventures

​The character 游 is for travel, imagination, and going with the flow

SC 拷贝
SOCIAL CHINESE

Checking In: A Language Guide to Social Media Travel Posting

​Learn how to “check-in” at China’s viral tourist destinations and post about travel online

Fan Wu Interview Cover Image
BOOKS

Revisiting the Chinese Labor Corps: An Interview With Author Fan Wu

Chinese American writer Fan Wu discusses language, identity, and her motivation for revisiting the Chinese contribution to WWI in her new book “Souls Left Behind”

一男子独自唱歌情歌
TRAVEL

Caverns of Culture: Leisure and Spirituality in China’s Karst Caves | Photo Story

Photographer Cai Shanhai captures life and leisure of southwest China’s “cave dwellers”

Prenup - cover jiehun 拷贝
SOCIETY

Before Forever: The Rise of Prenuptial Agreements in China

More young Chinese are signing prenuptial agreements before marriage, but are they enforceable?

Game - Illustration 游戏
EDUCATION

What Video Games (Don’t) Teach Us About China

Video games mix real-world history and fiction in ways that inform—and perhaps distort—people’s views of China

1AI 复活的副本 拷贝_副本
TECHNOLOGY

What Booming AI Revival Services Mean for China’s Relationship to Death

As China’s “AI revival” services boom, ethical and legal controversies spread

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