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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.
Rescuers work on site after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, central China’s Hunan province, on May 5. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

Editorial | China fireworks factory blast sharpens focus on workplace safety

China’s safety record has improved but concerns persist about under-reporting and uneven compliance.

China travel

China’s record travel volume meets cautious spending in May Day holiday surge

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Accidents and disasters in China

Video | Deadly blast at Chinese fireworks factory

US-China relations

The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but China-US cooperation might

US medical anthropologist Arthur Kleinman looks for path out of a social paradox: longer lives without a defined social role.

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Arthur Kleinman, a founding father of modern medical anthropology, says retirees in China may face decades without a defined social purpose. Photo: Shutterstock
China economy

Opinion | China moves towards better protecting its gig workers

Platforms have outrun legislation but Beijing is pledging better protections for gig workers. Hong Kong is also updating relevant laws.

China jobs

Back to the factory? China to retrain 1 million jobless graduates as technicians

China aims to solve its graduate jobs crisis by sending academic students to vocational school. But many young people remain sceptical.

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China travel

China braces for record Labour Day travel surge as tourism demand remains robust

China expects to handle a record 304 million cross-regional trips per day over the holiday, as the government focuses on boosting consumption.

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China is expecting to see a record surge in cross-regional travel over the coming Labour Day holiday. Photo: Shutterstock
China’s Communist Party

China must ‘strengthen education’ of Tibetan Buddhists, Beijing official says

On inspection tour, Li Ganjie urges local authorities to promote new ‘unity’ law to ethnic minority groups.

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China jobs

China’s youth unemployment crunch deepens as record graduation season looms

China’s official youth jobless rate climbed to 16.9 per cent in March, with another 12.7 million graduates set to enter the job market this summer.

China jobs

Shanghai mobilises seniors to work longer amid China’s demographic crisis

With one in three residents above retirement age, Shanghai’s 28-department plan aims to mobilise retirees to offset shrinking payrolls and rising pension strains.

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A group of older Chinese people gather at Shanghai’s Fuxing Park. The city is now encouraging seniors to return to work. Photo: Shutterstock
Gender

Opinion | By voicing their needs, Chinese women are normalising them

In films and on social media, women in China are openly advocating for themselves and fighting taboos around women’s health.

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Women eat lunch in a female co-living space in Hangzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, on July 14, 2025. Photo: AFP
China’s Communist Party

The winners from China’s growing intercity football rivalries may surprise you

Lighthearted contests between areas with different customs, dialects and cuisine encourage local pride but ultimate control is elsewhere.

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Chinese culture

Opinion | Chinese youth are embracing Ching Ming with cultural confidence

Young people visiting the graves of historical figures reflects a cultural shift and the pursuit of a sense of continuity with the past.

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US-China relations

Growing Pains meets the ‘kill line’: a new Chinese hot take on the American dream

Internet commenters retrofit the viral metaphor to US movies and TV to highlight financial and social insecurity.

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The US sitcom Growing Pains revolved around the lives of the Seaver family. Photo: Warner Bros. Television
Mainland China

Video | Paper AI robot offerings for tomb-sweeping festival

One online review notes ‘times change fast, I hope my grandfather likes it’ for paper OpenClaw offering.

Retailers have been gearing up for the Ching Ming Festival on April 5, 2026, with creative paper offerings that represent some of the latest technology including AI and robotics.
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China property

Opinion | Reinflate the property sector? No, China wants an ambitious redesign

Beijing is attempting a difficult pivot: transforming real estate from a debt-driven growth engine into a pillar of a consumption-led economy.

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China inflation

Video | Iran war sends Chinese costs soaring

Businesses contend with soaring energy, raw material and freight costs, while Chinese consumers queue at petrol stations amid price hike fears.

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Mainland China

Opinion | Why China’s AI automation push is a risky social experiment

Without reforms to improve wages, housing access and childcare, automation could entrench a low-fertility crisis and destabilise the social contract.

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A robot helps with a task during a media tour to the Beijing Humanoid Robot Pilot Verification Platform, in Beijing on March 20. Photo: EPA
Job hunting

Video | Why is the gig economy sweeping China?

The country has over 200 million gig workers who make a living from various temporary jobs.

Human trafficking

China’s infamous ‘Aunt Mei’ arrested after decade-long hunt for child trafficker

Police identify the woman, surnamed Xie, as the intermediary who brokered the sale of nine children in Guangdong province.

China economy

Opinion | China’s high household savings reflect old values and new anxieties

Economic uncertainties strengthen the deep cultural instinct for thrift. Policies must address the anxieties that make saving feel necessary.

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Shoppers test sofas outside a mall in Beijing. Retailers in Beijing and other major Chinese cities are increasingly moving product displays into public areas to boost spending. Photo: AP
China jobs

China’s youth unemployment falls for sixth consecutive month in February

But young job-hunters say they are still struggling to find work in a testing post-holiday labour market amid rising global economic uncertainty.

Young people line up at career guidance booths during a job fair in Beijing on March 14 as China’s youth unemployment rate grows amid a testing post-holiday labour market. Photo: Reuters
Two Sessions 2026

Editorial | China’s ethnic unity law can foster a shared sense of belonging

The law seeks to bridge ethnic divides for social stability and national development while safeguarding diversity.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China’s OpenClaw mania driven by fear of missing next tech gold rush

Fear of missing out and people riding new technology waves to success are familiar narratives, but how will AI agents turn potential into profits?

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Food and Drinks

Video | Robot goes haywire in hotpot restaurant and refuses to stop dancing

Three restaurant staffers try to restrain the robot, but are powerless to stop it.

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Chinese history

As I see it | Rescuing a key Confucian text from centuries of ignominy

The release of an authoritative translation of Kongzi Jia Yu finally places a once-suspected forgery among the traditional canon.

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Children read The Analects at a primary school in Hefei, Anhui province, in February 2014. Photo: Xinhua
China consumption

Beijing urged to boost rural pensions as lawmakers fight for farmers’ fair share

Appeals highlight a long-standing lack of benefits for elderly citizens outside cities, and proposals include leveraging state assets and new taxes to bridge the vast disparity.

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Video | Chinese dating app lets parents set up dates for their kids

‘Perfect In-laws’ allows parents to communicate with each other to set their kids up, often without them knowing.

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