chen-yiru

To Lift Economy, Shaoxing Brings Subsidies to the Banquet Table

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

The city in eastern China is subsidizing hotel banquets as part of a 100-million-yuan plan to revive its dining and tourism sectors.

Shanghai Pilot Offers Grants to Help New Mothers Stay in Science

The city’s Chinese Academy of Sciences branch is offering one-time grants to new mothers in science, aiming to offset career setbacks from childbirth.

Chinese Brand Severs Ties With Marathon Winner Amid Controversy

The “fastest nurse” in China appealed to her employer to recognize running as a legitimate reason to adjust her hospital shifts, dividing netizens and resulting in a terminated sports contract.

A Cigarette in an Old Mural Has China Debating a Literary Icon’s Legacy

An online complaint claiming the mural promotes smoking has divided opinion, drawing hundreds of comments. Officials say the image will stay unchanged.

Summer, Stolen: How Fake Factory Jobs Scammed China’s Students

Lured by middlemen promising high pay and free housing, thousands of students traveled to the country’s south this summer. They only found shrinking wages, overcrowded dorms, and agents who vanished with their money.

China’s Latest Conservation Weapon Is a Robot Antelope

Researchers hope that the furry, remote-controlled quadruped will help them collect first-hand data about migration routes and birthing behaviors of Tibetan antelope on the remote Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Samples From China’s Chang’e Mission Rewrite Moon’s Violent History

Analysis of rock samples brought back from the far side of the Moon in June 2024 suggests that our only natural satellite’s crater formation period began 100 million years earlier than previously believed.

Illegal Surrogacy Clinics Uncovered in Changsha, 18 Penalized

Staff from one of the unlicensed facilities, discovered in May after a tip-off, fled when police arrived, leaving behind medical equipment, drugs, and an unconscious patient on an operating table.

Local Governments Relax Rules on Civil Servant Side Hustles

Long considered an “iron rice bowl” profession, civil servants in some regions have started taking up gigs as delivery riders and ride-hailing drivers in their free time.

Shaolin Temple’s ‘CEO Monk’ Probed Over Finances, Misconduct

Abbot Shi Yongxin, credited with turning the Shaolin Temple into a global brand, is under investigation by multiple agencies, the temple said.

“Teacher, My Bot Has No Girl”: Inside an AI Class for China’s Elderly

As AI becomes a part of everyday life in China, seniors are struggling to keep up. One grassroots course is trying to close the gap.

In a Landlocked Corner of China, a Farmer Builds a Submarine From Scratch

Zhang Shengwu completed a successful dive in his 2-ton, 40,000-yuan homebuilt submarine — one of a new batch of countryside entrepreneurs eligible for government grants.

China’s Latest Viral Product Is a Bunch of Hot Air

Another canned air product has gone viral in the country, reigniting debate as to whether such items are a playful novelty or a brazen scam.

Sub Space: Inside the Invisible World of China’s Live Subtitle Operators

At top film festivals across the country, foreign films often arrive without subtitles. A small team of volunteers, mostly students, makes sure every line lands — manually, and in real time.

Love, Live: In China, You Can Now Marry at a Music Festival

No longer restricted by household registration laws, local governments are enticing young people to tie the knot at large-scale events around the country.

He Poisoned Cats in College. Now He Can’t Join China’s Civil Service.

Authorities disqualified the top candidate for a government position in China’s southern Guilin City after netizens uncovered his role in a spate of cat poisonings as a university student.

“No War Here”: The Iranian Couple Who Escaped Conflict to Sell Out at China Expo

Hamed Hassannejad and his wife Nastaran Rajabzadeh Samani were due to fly directly from Tehran to Kunming to attend this year’s China-South Asia Expo — but war had other plans.

‘Too Big a Risk’: Chinese Students Rethink the American Dream

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

After an abrupt visa freeze and a vague policy reversal, many Chinese students find themselves locked out, or walking away, from what had long been the default path to opportunity.

Chinese Scientists Detect New ‘Super-Earth’ 2,500 Light Years Away

The breakthrough came using a cutting-edge observational method that detects unseen planets via subtle deviations in their orbit.

Sound of Silence: Musicians Postpone Concerts Due to Gaokao Clash

Several musicians have been forced to postpone shows after parents complained about potential disruptions ahead of the nation’s most important exam.