health

In the Ozempic Era, China Readies a Home-Grown Obesity Drug 

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

Mazdutide, used in the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases, could become the first domestically-developed dual-target obesity drug to reach the market.

Jiang Xinyi

Chinese Scientists Use Gene Therapy to Cure Thalassemia in Children

Geneticists have used a cutting-edge DNA base editing treatment on several patients to cure thalassemia, a prevalent and severe genetic blood disease.

The Off-Label Therapy Chipping Away at Alcoholism

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

SIXTH TONE ×

A surgical implant that reduces cravings for alcohol is helping free patients and their families from the pain of addiction.

The  Beijing News

Scroll Locked: Why Rural Teens in China Struggle to Disconnect

A new national survey links rising phone addiction and depression among rural youth to parental absence and limited mental health support.

He Qitong

Wu Yufei

Chinese Hospitals Issued Health Certificates Without Exams: CCTV 

State broadcaster investigation found agencies sent stand-ins, health certificates were sold online, and restaurants knowingly accepted unverified or forged documents.

Ding Rui

What’s in That Mooncake? China Says “Zero” Labels Must Mean Something

Regulators are banning vague “clean label” claims and requiring companies to disclose exactly how much of each ingredient is in the food.

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

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

Q & A

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.

China Rolls Out Ambitious Weight-Loss Plan

China’s National Health Commission wants to open “weight management clinics” nationwide.

Can ‘Patient Companions’ Fill a Gap in China’s Safety Net?

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

VOICES & OPINION

The country’s best hospitals are crowded and hard to navigate. Some Chinese are hiring personal assistants to help them and their loved ones get the treatment they need.

He Qijun

Out of the Wreckage: A Crash Survivor’s Road to Recovery

Wang Hui was severely injured in a road accident that killed her husband and daughter. Unwilling to let that tragedy define her, she's now sharing the highs and lows of her long road back to health.

Oh! Youth (36Kr)

The Big Snip: The Men Making Vasectomies Go Viral in China

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

In a society where reproductive responsibility has long fallen on women, a growing number of Chinese men are sharing their vasectomy stories online, sparking long overdue conversations about masculinity and contraception.

Fan Yiying

In Shanghai, Brain Implants Turn Thought Into Speech and Movement

The breakthrough in brain-computer interface technology opens possibilities for patients with speech and motor impairments.

Like, Comment, Prescribe: The Vloggers ‘Diagnosing’ Their Followers

As short videos analyzing personality disorders flood Chinese social media, netizens are starting to convince themselves they have one.

China  Youth Daily

The Complex Inner Lives of China’s ‘Livestream Moms’

Why are women streaming themselves caring for their sick and paralyzed children?

Pei Yuxin

In the Dark: The Grown-Up Kids Struggling With Depressed Parents

As awareness of mental health grows in China, children are discovering the difficulties in seeking help for aging parents with depression and anxiety.

China Develops Groundbreaking New Breast Cancer Treatment

Trials suggest the new therapy can improve treatment outcomes for triple-negative breast cancer by over 12%.

Shanghai Launches Campaign Against Smoking in Outdoor Public Spaces

The drive will target people smoking while waiting in line, walking on busy streets, or standing outside entrances to public buildings.

Li Xin

Starter Pack: How China’s Children Got Hooked on Cigarette Cards

A new craze for cutting cigarette packs into collectible cards is causing serious concern in China, where smoking kills over 1 million people each year.

A Hubei TCM Clinic Promised to Cure Cancer. Then the Deaths Began.

Officials looking into how a clinic lured hundreds with bold cancer cure claims have uncovered illegal practices, unqualified staff, and dangerous remedies linked to multiple deaths.

Chen Yiru

The Sanitary Pad Scandal Causing Uproar on Chinese Social Media

A string of sanitary pad brands have admitted their products are often smaller than advertised — sparking fury among Chinese women.