Hello TWOC readers!

Apologies for the clickbait subject line, but there’s a reason for it: check out our language column about “the art of Chinese clickbait,” which includes useful terms for your next social media post. Use them and you’re sure to improve your 网感 (wǎnggǎn, “sense of the internet”). Of course, whether you actually should want to be internet famous is another question. A discussion for another time, perhaps.

For now, read on about:

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New Goal for Coal

Former mines are being transformed into public gardens and tourist attractions as China looks toward a post-coal future, but the transition has not been smooth. Read more

DICE CON, China Style

Board games have supposedly been played in China for 4,000 years, but are local designers ready to take the industry to new heights? Read more

Olympic Pipe Dream

Millions of sports majors in China confront the tough reality of limited job opportunities after graduation, as only a small number can become athletes representing the country on the international stage. Read more

What We’re Reading

The Unfilial: Four Tragic Tales from Modern China (Sinoist, September, 2024)

Award-winning writer Yao Emei delves into the dark and brutally honest reality of women’s struggles within Chinese families in her latest short story collection. The original Chinese version, published in 2021, boasts an impressive 8.5 out of 10 rating on Douban, China’s largest book review platform. Readers have praised Yao for her stark and accurate portrayal of how women’s destinies are shaped by the problematic men in their lives. However, this is not a collection of uplifting tales of feminist empowerment, and Yao has consistently distanced herself from the feminist label. Read more detailed review here.

Chinese You Need

Journey to the West has inspired countless adaptations, but it’s also given rise to many common idioms and sayings, most of them celebrating the cleverness and bravery of the eponymous Wukong. Click through to learn some of them.

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