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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.
The family has long lay at the centre of Chinese society’s moral universe, with respect for parents, harmony between siblings and the fulfilment of family obligations elevated from private virtues to the very foundations of society. Photo: Shutterstock
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How Chinese society’s resilient moral framework has lasted nearly 3,000 years

The Zhou-dynasty ideals of family responsibility, propriety and self-cultivation remain woven into the very fabric of China today.

China’s internet censorship

China targets pseudo-history conspiracists who claim civilisations were stolen

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Obituaries

Video | Remembering Zhu Rongji

China jobs

China’s viral ‘dream job’: tight labour market fuels rush for alternative work

A highly-coveted mountaintop gig has exposed the sobering economic realities facing young jobseekers.

After 22-year-old content creator Li Sichen beat nearly 3,600 applicants to become the first cloud observer at Laojun Mountain in Henan province, Chinese social media called it the ultimate dream job. Photo: Handout
Mobile gaming

Being Chinese | Don’t you dare come between Chinese women and our virtual boyfriends

An unexpected game character inspired a revolt by disappointed female fans. To understand why, we need to look at Chinese digital culture.

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China travel

China tops South Korea’s outbound travel charts as short-haul tourism surges

About 1.7 million South Koreans visited China in the first half of this year, up 16 per cent from the same period last year.

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China's population

Opinion | China’s baby boom depends on gender equality, not cash handouts

To arrest its falling birth rate, China must ensure women do not have to choose between motherhood and the lives they have built.

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A woman and two children shop in front of a refrigerated cheese shelf at a supermarket in Beijing on July 10. Photo: Reuters
China consumption

Haidilao takes on McDonald’s, KFC with burger brand amid slowing hotpot growth

As burger outlets crowd the domestic market, Haidilao attempts to expand amid declining demand for hotpot.

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China economy

Opinion | China’s economic shift may hinge on what migrant workers do next

Where migrant workers go, what sectors they serve and how many stay employed will shape whether productivity gains go beyond the most advanced sectors.

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Chinese culture

VIP, APP, PPT: Are English abbreviations harming China’s cultural confidence?

Commentators worry that loanwords are becoming too common, especially for new tech, leaving no space for Chinese to grow.

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As new technologies enter everyday speech, they tend to circulate as an English word and a formal Chinese name without ever settling into common Chinese equivalents. Photo: Shutterstock
Asian diaspora

Opinion | Why global migration data should recognise subgroups like the Teochew

Until our data systems see past broad labels like Asian or Chinese, and recognise subgroups, our picture of global migration is incomplete.

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David Tran, a Teochew-Vietnamese refugee who settled in California, created the world-famous Sriracha sauce, turning a regional flavour profile into a global household staple. Photo: Griffin Hammond
China jobs

Stronger social security? Gig workers push back on proposed law

With China’s flexible workforce estimated at nearly 300 million, Beijing pledges to strengthen their safety, wages and basic social security.

China deflation

The upside of downsizing: Chinese youth head for more affordable small towns

Fast-paced corporate jobs leave Millennials, Gen Z burnt-out and seeking simpler lives with fewer luxuries outside China’s megacities.

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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.

Photo: EPA
China's population

China’s five-year public health blueprint

Officials target raising life expectancy to 80 years by 2030 in national health blueprint under 15th five-year plan.

Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

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

By always stepping in, I enabled my husband to step back. But the consequences of years of unequal parenting became impossible to ignore.

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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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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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Firefighters work at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jinjiang, Fujian province, on July 9. Photo: Xinhua News Agency via AP
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.

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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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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Chinese government departments are increasingly hiring retirees as society ages rapidly. Photo: EPA-EFE
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.

People practice tai chi in a park near the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. Photo: AP Photo/Andy Wong
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.

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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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.

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
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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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Illustration: Craig Stephens
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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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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