HISTORICAL FIGURES

Shadow Games: The Cunning Art of Espionage in Ancient China

From turning the tides of battle to preventing conflict altogether, spies were an integral part of warfare in ancient China—sometimes unwittingly

LIFE

Under the Chopstick: Folk ‘Plastic Surgery’ in China

Before China became the world’s second biggest cosmetic surgery market, these folk beliefs promised to shape people’s faces and body

BOOKS

Where is China’s “Brothers Grimm”?

The “Lin Lan Fairy Tales” was a huge project, collecting folklore for children from all across China. So why has no-one heard of it?

FILM

The Legend of White Snake | Film Review

After 1,400 years and countless adaptations, the legend of White Snake returns to the big screen (again)

TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Season of Change

Autumn Equinox, the 16th term in the Chinese calendar, is a day for extra attention to one’s health

TRAVEL

Where the Wild Things Are

In one of China’s least populated forests, legends of a yeti-like “wild man” live on

ARTS, TRADITIONAL CULTURE

The Legend of Liu Sanjie

How Guangxi’s ‘Goddess of Singing’ became a million-dollar light show

TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Grim Fairy Tales

Vampires, ghosts, and were-beasts: How foreign demonologists catalogued China’s homegrown horrors

BOOKS

Strange Tales Indeed

A close look at Pu Songling’s immortal short stories