urban China

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The Last Tokens

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

MULTIMEDIA

As Shenyang’s youth fades into memory and nostalgia, Xu Shouzhong’s arcade lives on.

Wu Huiyuan 

Watch Out: The Hidden Dangers of Kids’ Wearable Tech

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Smartwatches are helping children make friends — but also exposing them to explicit and potentially dangerous content.

Original (Jiefang Daily)

The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of China’s ‘Wanghong Tower’

Once the “home of livestreaming,” the Regent International Center in Hangzhou has fallen on hard times. Investors hope a fresh tech wave will see it reign again.

The Icon of Chinese Urbanism Everyone Loves to Hate 

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

VOICES & OPINION

Go almost anywhere in China and you’ll see street after street of garish, bright-red signs. They’re widely derided as ugly and mass-produced, so why can’t cities get rid of them?

Cai Yineng

Dig This: Shanghai’s Coolest Hobby Gets Everyone’s Hands Dirty

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

From first dates to family trips, foraging is turning into a favorite low-cost way for young Chinese and old alike to connect offline.

He Qitong

Behind China’s Growth Numbers, a Nation Still Saving

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

Despite steady growth and policy support, household data reveals high saving rates and persistent caution across regions and age groups.

Luo Yahan

How Liu Jiakun Became the Envy of Chinese Architects

The Pritzker Prize winner has always gone his own way.

You Xudong

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

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 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 Wants Scooters to Slow Down. Will It Work?

New rules cap the maximum speed of scooters nationwide, but the focus on riders over drivers may not be entirely fair, says Shanghai urbanist Liu Yuanju.

Liu Yuanju

Inside the School Teaching Parents How to Parent

A controversial private education company in eastern China is offering courses on “smart parenting,” but are its students seeing results?

White Night Workshop

Stone Cold Craze: Why China’s Gen Z Is Falling for Pet Rocks

Pet rock sales have surged on e-commerce platforms, with most buyers being young women born after 1995.

Guo Yishun

In Chinese Megacities, ‘Ultra-Long Commutes’ Are on the Rise

A growing number of people in China’s largest cities are traveling over 90 minutes each way for work, a new report has found.

Jiang Xinyi

Mind’s Eye Blind: A Shanghai Clinic Treats a Disorder None Can See

China’s first clinic for aphantasia and spatial disorders aims to help children with these rare conditions. However, anxious parents focused on math struggles have sparked debate over the clinic’s approach.

The Chinese Trading in Their Jobs for Bikes

Amid changing attitudes toward career breaks, unemployed young people in Shanghai are increasingly riding bikes as a way to relax and reconnect.

Speed, Stress, Surveillance: The Human Toll of China’s Beverage Boom

Facing relentless demands and tight deadlines, workers in China’s beverage industry endure harsh conditions, leading to burnout, clashes with customers, and sparking widespread online debate.

Ding Rui

Yin  Ziyuan 

China’s Gen Z Finds an Unlikely New Hero: A Sad, Tired Brit

Jack Forsdike documented his ordeal working for one of China’s tech giants — and became a symbol of the industry’s grueling labor practices.

Dominic  Morgan

In Chengdu, Women Learn to Rewire a Trade Built for Men

Designed exclusively for women, a new course offers classes ranging from home appliance cleaning to electrician training that covers both theory and hands-on techniques. The response has been overwhelming, with classes filling up fast.

Did Chinese Public Transport Firms Miss the Bus on New Energy?

Privately operated bus companies are struggling under a mountain of debt. It didn’t have to be this way.