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

Q & A

q-&-a

‘Robot Marathon Just the Start’: China’s Engineers on What’s Next

After China’s first humanoid robot marathon, Sixth Tone spoke with four startups about what worked, what didn’t, and how they’re preparing for the next big test this August.

He Qitong

Wu Yufei

The True Story of How a Chinese Farmer Died in 1830s London

Known to history only as Hoo Loo, he bled out on an operating table 5,000 miles from home. How did he get there? Was he a victim? And what can his story tell us about the rise of modern medicine?

Wu Haiyun

‘A Needle in a Haystack’: How a New Study Could Revolutionize Parkinson’s Treatment

Five years ago, Wu Kaimin was worried her dissertation proposal might not be approved. Now, her research could fundamentally alter how doctors treat Parkinson’s.

Learning to Fly: How a Jurassic Fossil Decodes the History of Flight

Paleontologist Wang Min on the luck, science, and persistence behind a groundbreaking find.

Jiang Xinyi

When Beijing Was China’s Most International City 

A newly translated book explores how international residents have shaped and recorded life in China’s ancient capital for hundreds of years.

Meet Ms. Hu: She Built a Garden From Chongqing’s Discarded Past

Pan Zhiqi’s award-winning documentary “Ms. Hu’s Garden” follows one woman’s decadelong effort to preserve her neighborhood’s history amid Chongqing’s rapid redevelopment — creating a sanctuary from scrap and memory.

Mathew Scott

Echoes of War: The Untold Story of the Lisbon Maru

The director of the hit documentary “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru” shares the tears and triumphs he experienced in resurfacing a World War II tragedy.

The Paper

What Would an Asian Pluralism Look Like?

Scholar Song Nianshen on the continent’s need to move past postcolonial theory.

Raised by ‘Wolves’: The Rise of China’s Cutthroat Start-Up Scene 

How did “wolf culture” become part of Chinese tech culture’s DNA?

Cai Yineng

Diversity in Unity: Exploring the Many ‘Bodies’ of Chinese Dance

In her research, scholar Emily Wilcox explores the evolution of Chinese dance and the complex relationship between national identity and global influences.