China Stories

The fast food giant’s decision to spin off its China operations could serve as a reality check for U.S. companies. Read the article by Matt Schiavenza: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/02/28/the-yum-model/ 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 southwestern China, bovine brawls attract big crowds. But as the sport grows, it's also charging into controversy. Read the article by Kenrick Davis: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006372/in-chinas-villages%2C-bullfighting-enjoys-a-bloody-renaissance Narrated by Elyse Ribbons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell...

As Trump’s presidency ends, his impact on Sino-US relations will be lasting. Read the article: https://www.weekinchina.com/2021/01/exit-the-disrupter-in-chief/ 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 .

A rugged battle is underway between the coronavirus and humanity trying to bring the Covid-19 pandemic to an end. Read the article by Ma Danmeng, Wang Simin, Wang Lijun, Zhao Jinzhao, Xu Wen, Jia Tianqiong and Han Wei: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2021-02-11/in-depth-why-vaccines-wont-soon-end-the-covid-19-pandemic-101663123.html Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at https://art1...

Named “Brother Requested” by her paternal grandmother, a woman shares her struggle for a name of her own. Read the article by Fang Qian: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006663/dont-call-me-zhaodi Narrated by Jiayun Feng. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Hundreds of Chinese heart disease patients died avoidable deaths, with more still suffering heart attacks and strokes, after 100,000 went untreated in unnecessary trials of widely used medication, new research suggests. Read the article by Flynn Murphy and Wang Zhuoqing: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2021-02-18/in-depth-hundreds-of-chinese-patients-died-in-redundant-trials-of-proven-drugs-101664417...

A nixed deal offers a rare window into how Chinese companies often work in tandem with, and sometimes on behalf of, Beijing. Read the article by Alex W. Palmer: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/02/21/deep-state-inc/ 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 Xing is CEO of tech titan Meituan. Why is he still obsessed with an obscure social media platform he founded a generation ago? Read the article by Zeyi Yang: https://www.protocol.com/china/china-digital-ghost-town-mayor 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 .

There’s nothing particularly surprising about the emergence of “vaccine diplomacy” as a foreign policy buzzword in 2021. Read the article by Jacob Mardell: https://supchina.com/2021/02/18/the-meaning-of-chinas-vaccine-diplomacy/ 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 .

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou hasn’t set foot in China since 2018. Instead the daughter of Huawei boss Ren Zhengfei remains holed up in Vancouver, under house arrest as she fights against an extradition request from the US. Read the article: https://www.weekinchina.com/2021/01/a-tale-of-two-sisters/ Narrated by Elyse Ribbons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

I wasn't proud of it, and neither were my coworkers. But that's life in today's China. Read the article by Shen Lu: https://www.protocol.com/china/i-built-bytedance-censorship-machine 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 .

John Le Carré’s Asia-set magnum opus is his 1977 novel "The Honourable Schoolboy." The book is one of le Carré’s most personal, offering us a number of insights into Asia and China that are key to understanding the trajectory of Western relations with China after World War II. Read the article by Paul French: https://supchina.com/2021/02/05/what-a-john-le-carre-novel-can-teach-about-china/ Narrate...

With demand surging, China’s private detectives are coming out of the legal shadows. Read the article by Han Rubo: https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2020/11/a-private-practice/ 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 .

In 1724, the Yongzheng Emperor proscribed Christianity. But what he really wanted is what rulers always want: people who will serve their state but not threaten its order. Jesuit advisers working in China's capital at that time, after all, had proved useful to the empire. Read the article by James Carter: https://supchina.com/2021/02/10/the-yongzheng-emperor-and-christianity-in-china/ Narrated by...

People from across China share how they’re celebrating the Lunar New Year holidays, dampened for the second straight year by COVID-19 outbreaks. Read the article by Cai Xuejiao and Chen Qi'an: http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006785/the-human-side-to-another-lost-spring-festival Narrated by Kaiser Kuo and Elyse Ribbons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californ...

Every app now wants to lend you money. It's driving some users into debt and foreshadows a broader crackdown. Read the article by Zeyi Yang: https://www.protocol.com/china/chinese-microlending-out-of-control 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 .

A single machine from the Netherlands could catapult China to the leading edge of the semiconductor industry. If the U.S. allowed it, that is. Read the article by Tim De Chant: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/02/07/the-chip-chokepoint/ 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 .

“Why do you ask, are you a spy or something?” Rattling machine guns and the dying yells of Japanese soldiers blare from a TV behind the newsagent. Framed by the glaring lights of his booth on a busy Beijing street, he eyes me with a joking smile — but the beginnings of a frown — as I casually ask which papers sell well. The state secrets of this kiosk are closely guarded. Only when he’s satisfied...

I can hear the beastly engines revving from hundreds of meters away. Up close, the machines gleam in the autumn sun. Benellis, chrome Harley Davidsons, dark-tinted BMWs, and Shinerays are all lined up for display on the deck of an abandoned freight train platform in Beijing’s 798 Art District. Read the article by Mads Vesterager Nielsen: https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2021/02/ride-or-die/ Narra...

Fed up with the grind of urban life, young Chinese are starting over in the countryside, where they aim to build a new society without “privilege or hierarchy.” Read the article by Wang Xuandi: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006694/in-chinas-new-age-communes%2C-burned-out-millennials-go-back-to-nature Narrated by Elyse Ribbons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac...

China has fleshed out details of mandated “cooling-off” periods for couples seeking divorce, a policy that critics said could leave victims of violent and abusive relationships in greater danger. Read the article by Matthew Walsh and Tang Ailin: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-12-07/cooling-off-periods-for-divorcing-couples-could-put-abuse-victims-in-danger-critics-say-101636689.html Narrated by...

In China, the Rabbit God — Tu'er Shen — is a relatively obscure deity. But at one point in history, it held special significance, particularly for same-sex couples who looked to it for guidance and true love. Remnants of the Rabbit God can still be found today, if one looks hard enough. Read the article by David Volodzko: https://supchina.com/2020/10/09/how-fujian-was-once-an-lgbt-mecca/ Narrated...

The Canadian prime minister was using his father’s playbook when it came to China. But the game has changed. Read the article by Christopher Beam: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/01/31/trudeaus-move/ 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 .

Zhou Li (not his real name) was glad he escaped Nepal before the big Christmas Eve police raid. A couple of days before the Nepali cops detained 122 Chinese nationals Dec. 24 for suspected involvement in financial crimes, Zhou fled to China from an online gaming company where he worked for about two weeks in Katmandu, the Nepali capital. Read the story by Tang Ailin and Denise Jia: https...

Yue Fei was a 12th-century Song dynasty general who was betrayed by the minister Qin Hui. Throughout history, his reputation has changed - from symbol of ethnic nationalism to hero of the people - but his status still looms large. Read the article by James Carter: https://supchina.com/2021/01/27/the-evolving-hero-status-of-the-executed-general-yue-fei/ Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at...