China Stories

A drought and a wastewater plan add to cross-Strait tensions.Read the article: https://www.weekinchina.com/2021/04/troubled-waters-2/Narrated by Elyse Ribbons.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meet Han Shimei, an isolated individual who found purpose writing poetry on a video-sharing app. Discover how she navigates attention and relationships through her poems, finding solace and validation amidst life's complexities. Her hidden struggles and emotions are unveiled through her creative outlet, hinting at a complex inner life.

The electric car sector is becoming increasingly crowded as more tech companies jump on the bandwagon, pushing a radical shake-up in the 138-year-old global auto industry.Read the article by Liu Yukun, Zhang Erchi, He Shujing and Han Wei: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2021-04-12/cover-story-tech-giants-bet-on-the-smart-car-revolution-101688741.htmlNarrated by Heather Mowbray.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ballroom culture is quietly flourishing in China’s cities, creating a safe space for young LGBT people to explore their identities.Read the article by Wang Xuandi and Fan Yiying: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006578/in-chinas-voguing-houses%2C-queer-millennials-strike-a-new-poseNarrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Xu Xing remembers receiving his acceptance letter from Peking University (PKU)—along with his assigned major, paleontology. He had always wanted to be a scientist, a big dream for a boy from the foothills of Xinjiang’s Tianshan Mountains.Read the article by Emily Conrad: https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2019/03/a-roaring-trade/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In AD 9, Wang Mang, once the powerful prime minister of the Western Han court, overthrew the dynasty and declared himself ruler. The reign of this ambitious but conniving reformer is the interlude between the Western and Eastern Han dynasties — but that he could become emperor in the first place was due to the power vacuum left by a previous emperor. Ai of Han had no children (we assume), and though his reign was rocky, he has achieved immortality in modern China due to his devotion to a male lover.Read the article by Alex Colville: https://supchina.com/2021/04/19/chinas-gay-emperor-known-for-his-cut-sleeve/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The center of Beijing is filled with monuments. Some are centuries old, like the Forbidden City and Qianmen Gate. Others, like the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong or Tiananmen Square itself, are more recent. But each of them mark eras in the city’s history. In the same way that Mao’s tomb underscores that man’s centrality to a point in time, or the Forbidden City calls out the grandeur that was late imperial China, another landmark came to symbolize the era of the 1990s: On April 23, 1992, the first McDonald’s in Beijing opened its doors.Read the article by James Carter: https://supchina.com/2021/04/21/the-first-mcdonalds-in-china-was-a-symbol-of-engagement/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cosco’s results show the container shipping industry is booming again.Read the article: https://www.weekinchina.com/2021/04/plain-sailing/Narrated by Elyse Ribbons.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While the U.S. was focused on investigating Russian interference in U.S. politics, China was plotting its own campaign to influence the young Trump administration. It got uncomfortably close.Read the article by David Barboza: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/04/18/the-new-influencers/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wang Xiaobo's translator writes about the enduring cult status of this important Chinese writer, who still remains obscure outside his home country. In some ways, Wang is more necessary now than ever.Read the article by Hongling Zhang: https://supchina.com/2021/04/09/the-yin-and-yang-worlds-of-a-chinese-literary-outlier/Narrated by Anthony Tao. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.