TRAVEL

The Quest for Quiet: Can “Reverse Travel” Save China’s Tourists From Holiday Crowds?

Between crowded tourist hotspots and boring small towns, young vacationers struggle to find a middle ground

SOCIETY

Scavenging for Door Plates: The Forgotten Stories of Urban Villagers

How one married couple made a museum out of scavenged belongings, honoring the stories of China’s migrant workers

TV

Three-Body Conundrum: Why Liu Cixin’s Trilogy Defies Adaptation

Three-Body’s epic scale and its fiercely guarded fan base present challenges to adaptations

DESIGN

Too Rich: Wealth and Peril in Huang Heshan’s City Dreamscapes

Artist Huang Heshan’s cyberpunk metropolis celebrates and critiques modern urban life, weaving together rich human connections with the looming dangers of modernization

TRAVEL

Barbe-Queue Again: How Zibo Broke the Curse of Short-Lived Virality

One year after Zibo blew up online, why are tourists still pouring in?

SOCIETY

Behind the Fame: What Makes a Viral Travel Destination?

How cities fight for tourists with social media marketing and enhanced hospitality, despite the strain visitors place on local infrastructure

FICTION

Countryside Police Station: International Repercussions | Short Story

Author A Yi’s tale of bureaucracy and absurdity behind county officials’ futile attempt to put out a fire

ENTERTAINMENT

Throwing Eggs: How “Guandan” Became China’s Favorite Card Game

The regional card game “guandan,” literally “throwing eggs,” has become one of the country’s most popular social activities

FICTION

Countryside Police Station: An Unsolved Case | Short Story

Novelist A Yi’s satirical take on how county police “solved” a case of theft at a local chemical plant

IDIOMS

Idiomized: How to Talk Fake News in 4 Characters

Discover these ancient Chinese “chengyu” still used to identify modern misinformation