MODERN HISTORY

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.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
TRAVEL

All Aboard the Yunnan Express

Riding the rails of southern Yunnan province, where “internet celebrity” tourism and French colonial legacy collide

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
BOOKS

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

MODERN HISTORY

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

LIFE

Arms Up! How Radio Exercises Live on in Modern China

How a German tradition from 1803 affects the massage parlors of China today

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
TRAVEL

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

HISTORY

Romance and Rebellion in Republican China

How picture newspapers in the early 20th century reflected changing views on freedom and love

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
BOOKS

On the Road in Republican China

A new book by historian Yajun Mo reveals the through-lines linking Chinese travelers, past and present

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
MODERN HISTORY

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

HISTORY

How China Adopted Western Punctuation

The story of how Chinese punctuation evolved from the Han dynasty to today