climate change

climate-change

The Solar Pioneers Convincing Urban China to Go Green

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

VOICES & OPINION

China leads the world in solar power, but few city residents have installed panels on their roofs.

Feng Jing

Late Bloomers: Climate Change Delays the Onset of Fall in China

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

Netizens have been avidly discussing the country’s new autumn timeframes on social media, with videos going viral of swallows in the suddenly frigid northeast trying to stay warm.

Jiang Xinyi

‘Huge Lesson’: A Beijing Farmer Learns to Live in Climate Extremes

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

As climate extremes grow across China, one farmer’s flooded fields outside Beijing show how quickly the country’s weather, and way of life, are being rewritten.

Game On! Soccer League Spurs Recovery in Flood-Ravaged County

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

SIXTH TONE ×

A shared passion for the “beautiful game” is helping residents in southwestern China rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster.

Original (Jiefang Daily)

China’s Summer of Climate Whiplash Brings Heat, Floods, and Drought

This summer brought a climate reversal, with floods in the north, drought in the south and other extreme weather.

Amid Heatwaves, China’s ‘North Pole’ Cranks the AC

Guesthouse owners in the country’s northernmost city are sweating over installing air conditioning as rising summer temperatures affect bookings.

The Paper

Storm Co-May Slams Shanghai, Grounds Flights, Floods Streets

The city was hit with a quick succession of warnings for a severe tropical storm, a tsunami, and most recently, gale-force winds.

Li Xin

At Least 30 Dead as Torrential Rains Batter Beijing’s Outskirts

Emergency crews are racing to restore access and locate those missing as alerts remain in place across northern China.

Northeast China Scrambles for AC Amid Record-Breaking Heat

A recent heatwave in the traditionally cool Northeast region has kick-started an air conditioner buying frenzy among residents, but installation manpower remains lacking.

Collage: China Sweats Through July Heatwave

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

MULTIMEDIA

With red alerts issued in several cities, experts warn extreme summer heat is becoming the new norm.

Sixth Tone

Himalayan Lake Burst Kills 9, Disrupts China-Nepal Trade Route

The sudden drainage of a supraglacial lake in the Himalayas swept away key infrastructure and has raised concerns about the ongoing effects of climate change in the region.

China Braces for Summer of Northern Floods and Southern Droughts

Following some of the heaviest floods on record in 2024, the country prepares for what may be an even more disastrous wet season ahead.

Cold Fix: Inside China’s Audacious Effort to Save a Dying Glacier

With blankets, snow machines, and limited funding, a small team of scientists is testing a desperate plan to slow the collapse of one of China’s most vulnerable glaciers.

In China’s Tea Heartland, Workers Pick Through Climate Whiplash

Across the country’s premier tea region, a punishing chain of drought, frost, hail, heat, and snow wiped out crops, leaving workers and growers struggling to salvage what little the season had left to give.

Chen Yiru

Spring Interrupted: Rare April Cold Wave Sweeps Across China

From DIY window tape to food delivery delays, residents scramble to prepare for one of April’s most extreme weather events in years.

What Does Climate Justice Look Like in a Language Without Sound?

Blending sign language, digital art, and public space, Night Bloom reimagines who gets seen — and heard — in climate conversations.

Fan Yiying

China’s Only Solution Yet for Climate-Ravaged Villages: ‘Move Out’

One of Hunan’s largest-ever relocation drives seeks to move entire villages from disaster zones. While many whose homes were destroyed have already moved, those whose homes remain intact face a difficult decision.

Wu Huiyuan 

Rain, Ruin, Repeat: The Chinese Villages Caught in Climate Chaos

Months after the worst flooding Hunan province has seen in decades, villagers in the hardest-hit areas continue to struggle with displacement and instability. Experts warn that climate change is making such disasters more frequent and severe.

Historic Blizzard Blocks Roads, Buries Cars in Northeast China

The city of Hegang has recorded its heaviest ever snowfall in November, with nearly half a meter of snow piling up in some areas.

He Qitong

Gridlocked: When Jellyfish Brought a China Power Plant to Its Knees

The unexpected surge of jellyfish overwhelmed cooling systems, forcing workers to work around the clock to clear blockages and avert shutdowns — a crisis affecting coastal infrastructure worldwide.