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When being heard becomes a business
Across China, people are paying strangers for what friends used to give for free — a listener to vent to, or someone to offer custom compliments and …
3 weeks, 2 days ago
From disaster simulation to real-life preparedness
Paying to get knocked around by fake hurricane winds. Wading through a flooded garage that's dry on the other side. Getting swept up in a man-made to…
3 weeks, 2 days ago
CIFTIS 2026: when services and technology meet the city
The most interesting developments at this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services may be happening outside the venue. Beijing's western…
3 weeks, 3 days ago
Generation Global EP7: What BRICS means for you
BRICS is meeting in India this week, and the group has grown well beyond its original five economies. Trade, technology, climate and jobs keep expand…
3 weeks, 3 days ago
IN VIDEO: The 60,000 km path to discovery
China's highways were once built for function alone. But a new 60,000-kilometer national plan is now tailoring routes specifically for road trips, th…
3 weeks, 3 days ago
The Soapbox: the ninety-minute lunch uproar
A bank in Hubei decided to close for ninety minutes each afternoon so staff could take a proper break. The public response was anything but calm. Off…
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Shenzhen's school uniforms back in focus
The back-to-school season has long meant overpriced uniforms and endless waiting, but Shenzhen offers a different model. Parents buy standard school …
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Freshmen, friends, and the fear of fitting in
A new generation just arrived on campus, and they are rewriting the rules of friendship. They scroll with confidence but clam up in person. They crav…
3 weeks, 5 days ago
The subway that erases provincial borders
You live in one city and work in another, and the only thing standing between you and your desk is an hour long crawl through traffic, until now. Bei…
3 weeks, 5 days ago
The 2026 gray zone of modern romance
In a relationship, we used to know what crossed the line. Now it is a hidden text, a dating app you are still on, or a friend your partner has never …
1 month ago