How the Whampoa Academy Gave Birth to Famous Enemies in Chinese Political History
Founded on June 16, 1924, China’s first modern military academy aimed to reunite a divided nation. It didn’t quite work out that way.
All Aboard the Yunnan Express
Riding the rails of southern Yunnan province, where “internet celebrity” tourism and French colonial legacy collide
The Infancy of Children’s Literature in China
A century ago, the founding of a children’s magazine witnessed a progressive movement in how modern Chinese society wrote for—and saw—children
How Did China End Up Celebrating Two New Years?
In the early 20th century, China tried to ban its millennia-old lunar calendar in the name of modernity—with mixed success
Arms Up! How Radio Exercises Live on in Modern China
How a German tradition from 1803 affects the massage parlors of China today
Where Empires Meet: Lüshun’s Complex Colonial Legacies
Lüshun’s history of colonial entanglement attracts visitors looking for stunning photo backdrops, but its story is difficult to tell
Romance and Rebellion in Republican China
How picture newspapers in the early 20th century reflected changing views on freedom and love
On the Road in Republican China
A new book by historian Yajun Mo reveals the through-lines linking Chinese travelers, past and present
The Butterfly Effect: Redeeming China’s Early Romance Novels
How “Mandarin Duck and Butterfly,” a romantic literary movement from early 20th century China, became forgotten in the tides of modernization
How China Adopted Western Punctuation
The story of how Chinese punctuation evolved from the Han dynasty to today