Feature

He Quit Baidu. But First He Had to Build an AI Version of Himself.

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

As Chinese firms expand internal AI systems, some employees are being asked to build digital versions of themselves before leaving their jobs.

He Qitong

China to Phase Out Old Power Rates in Green Push

For decades, the country has relied on a system that charges higher electricity prices in the day, and lower prices at night. With the rise of solar and wind power, that’s now changing.

Li Xin

The Rage, Love, and Loneliness Behind China’s Toxic Sports Fandom

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Shippers, solo stans, and spreadsheets — Chinese authorities step in as online attacks and arguments engulf the world of elite table tennis.

White Night Workshop

In Europe, Chinese Retail Moves Beyond Cheap Goods

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

From same-day groceries to in-house delivery fleets, Chinese shopping apps are bringing Europe a faster, more integrated way to shop.

Rao Yichen

Pulp Fiction 

20260528

Workers dry orange slices at an orange processing company in Zigui County, Hubei province, May 25, 2026. VCG

Game of Phones

DAILY TONES

DAILYTONE

China Tightens Online Pharmacy Rules on AI Use and Prescriptions

The country aims to curb abuses in obtaining prescription medication online — a practice that has become easier with the rise of pharmaceutical e-commerce platforms.

Fan Yiying

AI Hallucinates Flight Refund, Sparking Memes in China

A chat log in which an AI assistant confidently presented a user with numerous inaccuracies has inspired a wave of AI hallucination spoofs, a growing trend in the country.

Jiang Xinyi

82 Dead, 128 Injured in Shanxi Mine Explosion

Domestic media reported that inaccuracies in tunnel maps, as well as a lack of personnel locators, impacted rescue efforts.

Chen Yiru

Flying Solo: The Rise of China’s One-Person Companies

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

Thanks to AI, a new form of solo entrepreneurship has taken root, granting individuals the ability to perform tasks that once required many workers.

Before WeChat, There Were Qiaopi Writers

For decades, families relied on letter writers like Jiang Mingdian to stay connected with relatives abroad. At 77, he may be one of the last still working.

The Life Project: Documenting the Chinese Woman Who Gave Birth at 60

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Photographer Wu Fang reflects on 15 years and 20,000 photos capturing the life of a bereaved mother who gave birth to twins at 60.

Wu Huiyuan 

The Dog, the Drivers, and the Decision to Save Her

A stray dog has gone viral on Chinese social media after a group of local taxi drivers raised money for her surgery.

Lü Xiao

The Long Hunt for China’s Vanishing Elephant Slides

A photographer travels across the country documenting a little-noticed relic of mid-20th-century public space as it slowly vanishes.

Qi Ya

What Young Shanghainese Imagine Marriage Will Cost Them

Interviews found that fears of inequality, loneliness, sacrifice, and disappointment shape attitudes toward marriage as much as economic pressures do.

Shen Yang

Why the World Cup No Longer Feels Guaranteed on Chinese TV

As FIFA demanded soaring broadcasting fees, many Chinese viewers began questioning whether the World Cup still holds the same cultural and commercial value it once did.

Kong Degang

Before We Vanish: The Painter Preserving Shanghai’s Old Buildings

Amid rapid change, artist Hong Jian has ensured Shanghai’s distinct architecture and hidden stories are not forgotten.

Jiefang Daily

How Private Gardens Are Giving ‘Neglected’ Persimmon Trees a Fresh Start 

As social media fuels a growing passion for persimmon trees, wealthy urbanites in eastern China are paying thousands to ship prime specimens from distant villages.

The  Beijing News

Ten Years in Transition

SPECIAL PROJECTS

To mark its 10th anniversary, Sixth Tone looks back on the past decade through 10 stories documenting how people across China adapted to change.

Sixth Tone

Shanghai Sessions: Four Notes From a City in Swing

A brief history of the misfits, migrants, and mavericks who improvised a musical revolution.

The Lost Art of Chinese Purple

The nearly 3,000-year-old synthetic pigment’s invention has long been a mystery. Now, archaeologists think they’ve finally cracked the code.

Wu Haiyun

The Big Switch

China is producing EVs at an unprecedented scale, reshaping industries, economies, and daily life. Sixth Tone unpacks what’s working, what’s breaking down, and what’s next in a race that’s upending the global auto market.

The Secrets of the Shang

Sometimes called the “holy land” of Chinese archaeology, Yinxu remains a mystery even today.

6 Lives, 3 Years, and a Long Look at China’s Short-Video Era

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

Filmed over three years, “Nobody, But Somebody” follows young Chinese living outside the spotlight, capturing what it means to keep going in the face of uncertainty.

Our Water: Shanghai, London Exchange Cultural Currency

The latest news about Sixth Tone and announcements about its events, projects, and other initiatives.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A coin exhibition, forum, and night of culinary fusion in London kick off the second season of Our Water, Shanghai’s river-themed cultural exchange program.

Our Water

When Big Tech Needed Mothers in Rural China to Train AI

China’s rural data-labeling centers relied on mothers who could work, care for children and hold households in place all at once. Now many of those same women are being judged unfit for the future of AI.

Wu Tongyu

An Indie Drama About Leaving China Finds an Audience at Home

A film about the life, traditions, and emotional landscape of the Chaoshan region in southern China has struck a chord with viewers for its moving portrayal of local culture and familial bonds.

China and FIFA Face Off Over World Cup Broadcast Rights

The football association asked for a record $250 million from the country’s state-owned TV broadcasting company, with negotiations failing to bring the price down to what the network deemed acceptable.

Behind China’s AI Boom Are Computer Rooms Full of Rural Workers

In the country’s less-developed hinterlands, labeling data to train AI models has become a poverty-alleviation tool.

A Decade of Overwatch in China

In the 10 years since the game launched in 2016, there have been highs, lows, and everything in between. It is no exaggeration to say that Overwatch would not be what it is in China without the fans.