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China society

China society
Latest news, features and opinion on all aspects of society in China, including crime, education, health, culture, technology and tourism, and the impact of the one-child policy, an ageing population and mass internal migration on the country and its people.
Photo: EPA
China consumption

China’s 15th five-year plan for consumption

Officials have set a target for retail sales to hit 60 trillion yuan, or US$8.9 trillion, by 2030 under a plan approved by the State Council.

China's population

China’s five-year public health blueprint

Chinese culture

Being Chinese | The self-sacrificing Chinese mother I never wanted to become

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China must address social needs that drive people to AI partners

Instead of just addressing AI misuse on a surface level, policymakers should explore how to support those seeking social comfort.

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As of July 15, China has moved to restrict the use of humanlike artificial intelligence companions and particularly curtail AI use among minors. Photo: dpa
Mainland China

Opinion | Why China’s low-cost business model resists reform

Even as the model outlives its usefulness, built-in incentives continue to stifle efforts to protect the rights and interests of workers.

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China jobs

China’s youth jobless rate edges down in June for third consecutive month

The jobless rate for 16- to 24-year-olds fell for the third month, though China’s broader labour market faces headwinds.

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China economy

Opinion | To prosper, China must become a magnet for international students

China must seize the opportunity to become a global education hub. Reform of its universities should begin now.

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Illustration: Kaliz Lee
China's population

China’s state agencies are hiring retirees as the workforce rapidly ages

Universities, hospitals and government departments are actively recruiting retired former workers to cope with rapid demographic changes.

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Wellness

How tai chi energises these Chinese retirees: ‘everyone’s health has improved’

Tai chi practitioners at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven talk about learning the ancient Chinese practice and how it benefits health and spirit.

China's population

China’s population ageing seen as ‘inevitable’ by 2050. Why push more births?

Raising the fertility rate above 1.3 still remains crucial to preventing a far worse scenario later in the century, analysts say.

An elderly couple practice tai chi at a park in Beijing. Photo: AP
China economy

Opinion | How domestic tourism is driving Chinese consumption and growth

After a blockbuster first half, all eyes will be on how domestic tourism sustains the momentum through the autumn and ‘golden week’ breaks.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Trending in China

Video | Chinese woman finds biological family after 35 years

Woman went missing in 1991 as a two-year-old girl and was raised by adoptive mother who found her, but was unable to locate her parents.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Slowly but surely, China’s soft power is making itself felt

With trusted businesses, more openness, creative culture and inspiring sporting successes, China is building a foundation for influence.

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China technology

How AI is changing the way China’s students select a university degree

This summer, millions of families turned to AI for advice on selecting a degree programme – a role once played by teachers, relatives and consultants.

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Graduates celebrate after a graduation ceremony at Renmin University of China in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

As I see it | How the New Left won the battle of ideas for 21st-century China

Their revisionism challenges the neoliberal perspective which treats Maoist command economics and Deng-era capitalist reforms as diametrically opposed.

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A visitor looks at a screen showing President Xi Jinping at an exhibition commemorating China’s Communist Party history and achievements, on October 1, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE
Mainland China

Video | How a Chinese indie film conquered the box office

Lan Hongchun’s story about love, loyalty and immigrant struggles has struck a chord with the overseas Chinese diaspora, topping the box office with US$290 million.

Science

Why China’s technical schools offer both hope and despair for jobless college grads

Young Chinese ‘return to the furnace’ for practical skills but Chinese media reports some students are disappointed by education on offer.

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Mainland China

Opinion | China’s ethnic unity law aims to rejuvenate and defend, not repress

China’s extraterritorial clause reaches only acts that endanger national security, unlike the US’ overreaching Global Magnitsky Act.

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Delegates attend the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5. Photo: Xinhua
Social media

Opinion | Why middle-class life in China is drawing young Westerners’ gaze

China appears to offer something that many young people in the West struggle to find: a functioning middle-class lifestyle.

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Mainland China

Chinese farmer’s forest of cameras fails to bear fruit in compensation bid

Man in Hubei province raised eyebrows after covering a hillside with surveillance cameras in the hope of increasing a land purchase payout.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Young Americans feel more threatened by AI than young Chinese. Why?

It starts with the fundamentally different economic outlooks and job prospects for young people in China and the US.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
The Future of Marketing in Asia

Sports marketing ditches billboards for culture

From NBA x K-pop collaborations to interactive experiences, brands are moving past simple sponsorships to embed themselves in sports culture.

Local Arsenal fans at the friendly between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur held at Kai Tak Stadium in July 2025. The prestige of marketing at major sporting events has skyrocketed in recent years. Photos: Elson Li
China economy

Opinion | The gaokao scramble and how China engineers its political economy

Individuals choose the university and course but the state sets the collective outcome, steering human capital towards development goals.

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China travel

A phone away from home: China urged to provide rental handsets to aid tourists

A think tank says low-end handsets, rentable at border checkpoints and pre-installed with local apps, could narrow ‘digital divide’ for visitors.

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China jobs

China’s youth unemployment rate edges down in May as economic strains persist

Those aged 16 to 24 are still struggling to catch a break in the job hunt, a trend worsened by external wars and geopolitical strife.

People line up at career-guidance booths during a job fair in Beijing on March 14. Photo: Reuters
China consumption

Why are cash-strapped Chinese cities spending millions to host TV shows?

Jiangshan spent heavily to host the Chinese version of ‘Running Man’, but the project has provoked backlash amid China’s economic slowdown.

Cast members from the Chinese reality television show Keep Running pose for a photograph. Photo: Handout
Communist Party politics

How ‘lying flat’ went from a niche subculture to mainstream phenomenon

Spy agency says foreign forces are ‘brainwashing’ people, but critics call lying flat a rational response to a broken system.

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TV shows and streaming video

Who is Zhang Linghe, the Pursuit of Jade star and Gucci ambassador?

A recent public appearance sparked riots while his Netflix drama trends around the world – but why did this superstar almost choose a career in STEM?

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