MODERN HISTORY

How Labor Day Shaped Modern China

Discover the origin of Labor Day celebrations in China and how it became one of the country’s most important holidays

MODERN HISTORY

One Card to Rule Them All: The History of China’s ID System

How Chinese ID cards evolved from simple handwritten cards in 1984, to sophisticated digital documents essential for everything from riding the train to playing video games

MODERN HISTORY

A Brief History of China’s Hotel Industry

How China’s hotels transformed from exclusive spaces for the privileged to accommodation for the masses

MODERN HISTORY, EDUCATION

30 Years of Choosing College Majors in China

How did Chinese students earn the right to choose their own majors, and how did the most popular choices evolve over time?

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
SOCIETY

Industrial Evolution: Turning Old Factories into New Cultural Parks

Can heritage protection projects give new life to China’s abandoned factories?

MODERN HISTORY

The Traveling Projectionists Who Brought Entertainment to Farmers

Zhao Jishan, “the movie man,” spent years dragging a mobile cinema through rural China to bring entertainment to the villages

MODERN HISTORY

The Last Maoist Village in China

We take a trip to every Maoist’s favorite travel destination: Nanjie Village

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
EDUCATION

How English Went from Imperialist Treachery to Lingua Franca

While English language education was once practically forbidden, decades of reform have turned it into massive business

MODERN HISTORY

How the Bikini Finally Came to China

From swimming across the Yangtze in the 60s to indecency scandals in the 80s: 30 years of swimwear history in China

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
GALLERY

Children of the Corn: How Pan Dehai’s “Fatties” Distort the Past and Present

Painter Pan Dehai talks with TWOC about the ’85 New Wave movement and the reception of his cute but satiric political works