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

Q & A

q-&-a

Why China’s Master of Ancient Armor Hasn’t Given Up the Fight 

Archaeologist Bai Rongjin is 90 years old and still going strong.

Wu Haiyun

Playback: Reliving the Wild Days of Beijing Indie Music

A French photographer’s new book provides an intimate look at some of the performers who rocked the Chinese capital in the early 2000s.

Wang Juyi

Second Act: How a 500-Year-Old Chinese Opera Returned to Modern Life

Long dismissed as too slow for modern tastes, Kunqu opera is quietly being reinvented — with one performer bringing it into therapy sessions, elderly care, and daily life.

Sixth Tone

‘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?

‘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.