labor

In China’s Factory Belt, Workers Race to Survive the Robot Era

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

A nationwide reskilling push aims to prepare industrial workers for automation, but the pace of change is testing both people and institutions.

Fan Yiying

Chen Yongyi

Sting in the Tail: Life’s No Fairy Tale for Mermaid Dancers

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

SIXTH TONE ×

Underwater performers nationwide are risking life and limb as aquariums and other tourist attractions cut back on safety protocols to boost profits.

White Night Workshop

A Rough Ride: ‘Dirty’ Workers Stand Up to Subway Stares

Construction laborers in dusty outfits are shying away from seats on city transit systems over fears of getting into arguments with other passengers.

The Paper

Squid Game: A Novice Sailor Voyages Into the Unknown

A newly qualified Chinese seafarer finds beauty, boredom, and bust-ups on a squid trawler in the Pacific.

The Small-Town Women Still Dreaming of a Big Payday

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

VOICES & OPINION

For workers, optimism can be its own kind of cruelty.

Su Yihui

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

Sweeping Change? Call to Protect Janitors’ Right to Rest

Students and office workers across China urge employers to give cleaning staff a break by providing designated rest areas.

Will Market Shake Up Smooth the Road for Takeout Couriers?

Platforms have pledged to provide food delivery riders with social insurance, but many of them appear not to want it.

Amid Push Against Involution, Xiaohongshu Ends Overtime Grind 

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

Facing high employee turnover, the company says the changes aim to build longer-term relationships with staff.

He Qitong

Wu Yufei

Tidy Profit: Camera Captures the Cleaners Changing Lives

A retired researcher’s photoshoots with domestic workers across China are helping bust stereotypical narratives of hardship and low status.

Jiemian News

Stairway Porters Rise to the ‘1,000-Yuan Man’ Challenge

As laborers flock to become “kanglou” porters in southern China, industry insiders share what it takes to shoulder the physical and mental strain.

The Big Switch

SPECIAL PROJECTS

China is producing EVs at an unprecedented scale, reshaping industries, economies, and daily life. Sixth Tone unpacks what’s working, what’s breaking down, and what’s next in a race that’s upending the global auto market.

Who’s the Boss? China’s Top Court Spells Out Gig Worker Rights

A series of court rulings in China addresses labor rights in the country’s fast-growing platform economy.

Emotional Labor: Life Inside a Chinese Orphanage

A new book explores the tears, fears, and cheers experienced by orphanage staff and the children they care for.

Qian Linliang

Young Lives, Heavy Dust: Battling Pneumoconiosis

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

MULTIMEDIA

Lü Xiao

U-Turn: Female Food Couriers Find Strength in Stereotypes

In a new book on China’s platform economy, female delivery riders talk about overcoming the roadblocks they face in a male-dominated industry.

Sun Ping

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 Launches Policy Blitz to Tackle Unemployment

The central government has issued its first package of job creation measures since 2012, as concerns rise over China’s high youth unemployment rate.

Jiang Xinyi

Meituan Report on Delivery Workforce Provokes Pushback

The Chinese delivery platform is touting the high salaries earned by its riders. Others say the figures are deceptive.

Hu Anyan and the Beauty of ‘Ordinary Things’ as a Refuge From Reality

Reflecting on his journey from odd jobs to literary success, author Hu Anyan emphasizes the value of the everyday and banal in his new book “Living in Low Places.”