Sixth Tone
@sixthtone.bsky.social
Fresh voices from today's China — news, features & commentary from a human perspective. Also on Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, & YouTube.
Website: www.sixthtone.com
Website: www.sixthtone.com
Marathon organizers and runners across China face abrupt cancellations and new curbs, as officials rush to rein in a sport that expanded faster than it could be managed.
Read more: ow.ly/zF6V50XlsYe
Read more: ow.ly/zF6V50XlsYe
November 6, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Marathon organizers and runners across China face abrupt cancellations and new curbs, as officials rush to rein in a sport that expanded faster than it could be managed.
Read more: ow.ly/zF6V50XlsYe
Read more: ow.ly/zF6V50XlsYe
In her latest book, Professor He Guimei challenges the framework of “Chineseness” at its core, highlighting a need to frame it in terms of civilization, rather than nation, and to change how we talk about tradition when constructing ideas of the present.
Read more: ow.ly/BjIc50Xakor
Read more: ow.ly/BjIc50Xakor
October 13, 2025 at 5:09 AM
In her latest book, Professor He Guimei challenges the framework of “Chineseness” at its core, highlighting a need to frame it in terms of civilization, rather than nation, and to change how we talk about tradition when constructing ideas of the present.
Read more: ow.ly/BjIc50Xakor
Read more: ow.ly/BjIc50Xakor
Sponge gourd soup, a staple in Chinese home cooking, has unexpectedly gone viral online — not for its taste, but as a metaphor for the way parents often dismiss their children’s feelings, as well as gaslighting in familial relationships more generally.
Read more: ow.ly/bWv650X03Ns
Read more: ow.ly/bWv650X03Ns
September 23, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Sponge gourd soup, a staple in Chinese home cooking, has unexpectedly gone viral online — not for its taste, but as a metaphor for the way parents often dismiss their children’s feelings, as well as gaslighting in familial relationships more generally.
Read more: ow.ly/bWv650X03Ns
Read more: ow.ly/bWv650X03Ns
“The kids just grew up. Those who used to fight now have jobs, wives, kids. Those still single have mellowed out. They treat me with respect,” Xu told Sixth Tone.
August 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM
“The kids just grew up. Those who used to fight now have jobs, wives, kids. Those still single have mellowed out. They treat me with respect,” Xu told Sixth Tone.
In London, at the grave of Karl Marx, one Chinese visitor left a Labubu doll. The father of socialism, too, deserved a taste of modern consumerism.
August 28, 2025 at 3:12 PM
In London, at the grave of Karl Marx, one Chinese visitor left a Labubu doll. The father of socialism, too, deserved a taste of modern consumerism.
At the resting place of Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, known for letting wine stir his genius into timeless verse, visitors have offered liquor from across China and abroad.
August 28, 2025 at 3:12 PM
At the resting place of Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, known for letting wine stir his genius into timeless verse, visitors have offered liquor from across China and abroad.
In southwestern Sichuan province, fans left high-speed train tickets at the tomb of Zhuge Liang, the famed adviser to Liu Bei, founder of the Shu-Han Dynasty, to help the statesman fulfill his long-held dream of a northern expedition against Cao’s heirs.
August 28, 2025 at 3:12 PM
In southwestern Sichuan province, fans left high-speed train tickets at the tomb of Zhuge Liang, the famed adviser to Liu Bei, founder of the Shu-Han Dynasty, to help the statesman fulfill his long-held dream of a northern expedition against Cao’s heirs.
One of the more visible examples appeared in central Henan province. At the tomb of Cao Cao, a warlord said to suffer from migraines and a central figure in the classic Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” visitors began leaving ibuprofen.
August 28, 2025 at 3:12 PM
One of the more visible examples appeared in central Henan province. At the tomb of Cao Cao, a warlord said to suffer from migraines and a central figure in the classic Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” visitors began leaving ibuprofen.
With 16.7 million charging points, China now has the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network — about two chargers for every five EVs.
August 27, 2025 at 10:04 AM
With 16.7 million charging points, China now has the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network — about two chargers for every five EVs.
Ten workers are dead and four remain missing after a section of the Jianzha Yellow River Bridge collapsed early Friday during construction on the Sichuan–Qinghai Railway, according to Qinghai’s emergency management authorities.
August 22, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Ten workers are dead and four remain missing after a section of the Jianzha Yellow River Bridge collapsed early Friday during construction on the Sichuan–Qinghai Railway, according to Qinghai’s emergency management authorities.
resh off the global success of ‘Black Myth: Wukong,’ Chinese game studio Game Science has announced its next title: Black Myth: Zhong Kui. The studio released a cinematic teaser on Wednesday but said the project is still in early development.
August 22, 2025 at 7:50 AM
resh off the global success of ‘Black Myth: Wukong,’ Chinese game studio Game Science has announced its next title: Black Myth: Zhong Kui. The studio released a cinematic teaser on Wednesday but said the project is still in early development.
China has punished 19 officials and revoked the credentials of a trainee doctor at the center of a high-profile nepotism scandal, in a case that has fueled months of public anger over nepotism and corruption in elite hospitals and medical schools.
Read more: ow.ly/NIMF50WHz3e
Read more: ow.ly/NIMF50WHz3e
August 19, 2025 at 4:35 AM
China has punished 19 officials and revoked the credentials of a trainee doctor at the center of a high-profile nepotism scandal, in a case that has fueled months of public anger over nepotism and corruption in elite hospitals and medical schools.
Read more: ow.ly/NIMF50WHz3e
Read more: ow.ly/NIMF50WHz3e
More than 500 robots from 16 countries competed in the first World Humanoid Robot Games, with events ranging from Olympic-style sports to real-world tasks like hotel cleaning and medical sorting.
Read more: ow.ly/cfVw50WHiqS
Read more: ow.ly/cfVw50WHiqS
August 18, 2025 at 9:32 AM
More than 500 robots from 16 countries competed in the first World Humanoid Robot Games, with events ranging from Olympic-style sports to real-world tasks like hotel cleaning and medical sorting.
Read more: ow.ly/cfVw50WHiqS
Read more: ow.ly/cfVw50WHiqS
Over 7,700 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in Guangdong province since the beginning of July, exacerbated by heavy rainfall and thriving mosquito populations.
Read more: ow.ly/zPNt50WAxcj
Read more: ow.ly/zPNt50WAxcj
August 6, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Over 7,700 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in Guangdong province since the beginning of July, exacerbated by heavy rainfall and thriving mosquito populations.
Read more: ow.ly/zPNt50WAxcj
Read more: ow.ly/zPNt50WAxcj
Spotted in downtown Shanghai: a humanoid robot directing traffic and guiding pedestrians across a busy crosswalk.
July 25, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Spotted in downtown Shanghai: a humanoid robot directing traffic and guiding pedestrians across a busy crosswalk.
Six mineral processing students from Northeastern University died during a plant visit in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, after a walkway grate collapsed, plunging them into a 10-meter-deep flotation tank filled with hazardous slurry. (File photo from Weibo)
July 24, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Six mineral processing students from Northeastern University died during a plant visit in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, after a walkway grate collapsed, plunging them into a 10-meter-deep flotation tank filled with hazardous slurry. (File photo from Weibo)
Sixth Tone is looking for a seasoned, passionate freelance editor.
July 4, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Sixth Tone is looking for a seasoned, passionate freelance editor.
Translating culturally specific Chinese terms has always been tricky. A CNN article decried the “impossible task” of translating foods like fuqi feipian, a chilled dish of beef that literally means “husband-and-wife slices.” But do these dishes need translation at all?
ow.ly/IM1s50WhY0K
ow.ly/IM1s50WhY0K
July 2, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Translating culturally specific Chinese terms has always been tricky. A CNN article decried the “impossible task” of translating foods like fuqi feipian, a chilled dish of beef that literally means “husband-and-wife slices.” But do these dishes need translation at all?
ow.ly/IM1s50WhY0K
ow.ly/IM1s50WhY0K
Incomes are primarily from admission fees, incense offerings, cultural and creative products, religious ceremonies, and food and accommodation services. New channels like digital donations and e-commerce sales have also seen rapid growth, expanding the industry’s reach and profitability.
June 27, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Incomes are primarily from admission fees, incense offerings, cultural and creative products, religious ceremonies, and food and accommodation services. New channels like digital donations and e-commerce sales have also seen rapid growth, expanding the industry’s reach and profitability.
Across China, temples are quietly transforming into destinations for lifestyle consumption. Brand crossovers, cafés, vegetarian cuisine, and even venture capital activities now form what some call the “temple economy.”
Read more: ow.ly/Gvlb50WhoUT
Read more: ow.ly/Gvlb50WhoUT
June 27, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Across China, temples are quietly transforming into destinations for lifestyle consumption. Brand crossovers, cafés, vegetarian cuisine, and even venture capital activities now form what some call the “temple economy.”
Read more: ow.ly/Gvlb50WhoUT
Read more: ow.ly/Gvlb50WhoUT
Sixth Tone is looking for a freelance translator.
June 12, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Sixth Tone is looking for a freelance translator.
Internet discourse is increasingly reductive, perhaps nowhere more so than in China. Users can shut down debates by referencing just a handful of characters — known either as the “Six Arts of the Online Gentleman” or the “Eight Character Mantra.”
Read more: ow.ly/HJ3o50W7MxC
Read more: ow.ly/HJ3o50W7MxC
June 11, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Internet discourse is increasingly reductive, perhaps nowhere more so than in China. Users can shut down debates by referencing just a handful of characters — known either as the “Six Arts of the Online Gentleman” or the “Eight Character Mantra.”
Read more: ow.ly/HJ3o50W7MxC
Read more: ow.ly/HJ3o50W7MxC
Alcohol is an integral part of China’s business culture. Two researchers decided to find out just how integral, firsthand.
Read more: ow.ly/z9zV50W0U4A
Read more: ow.ly/z9zV50W0U4A
May 29, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Alcohol is an integral part of China’s business culture. Two researchers decided to find out just how integral, firsthand.
Read more: ow.ly/z9zV50W0U4A
Read more: ow.ly/z9zV50W0U4A
A freak updraft over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau lifted Chinese Paraglider Peng Yujiang nearly nine kilometers in minutes — and the entire flight was caught on camera.
Read more: ow.ly/B2bG50VZW3e
Read more: ow.ly/B2bG50VZW3e
May 28, 2025 at 12:36 PM
A freak updraft over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau lifted Chinese Paraglider Peng Yujiang nearly nine kilometers in minutes — and the entire flight was caught on camera.
Read more: ow.ly/B2bG50VZW3e
Read more: ow.ly/B2bG50VZW3e
Growth in spending in China’s smaller cities is outpacing growth in the largest. That’s attracting higher-end brands to expand, with smaller cities even starting to set trends for larger peers.
Read more: ow.ly/SQPa50VIlNB
Read more: ow.ly/SQPa50VIlNB
April 27, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Growth in spending in China’s smaller cities is outpacing growth in the largest. That’s attracting higher-end brands to expand, with smaller cities even starting to set trends for larger peers.
Read more: ow.ly/SQPa50VIlNB
Read more: ow.ly/SQPa50VIlNB