From reality TV to online gaming and even pop fandom, China’s leadership has launched a crackdown on youth culture in what experts say is a bid to ramp up “ideological control”.
Jing Xuan Teng
Journalist at AFP's Beijing bureau.
The Foreign Legion of YouTubers Defending China
With YouTube videos “debunking” allegations of human rights abuses and diatribes on Western “conspiracies” against China, an unlikely set of foreigners are loudly defending Beijing from its international critics.
China Rolls out New Data Law over ‘National Security’ Fears
China’s new data security law takes effect from Wednesday — the latest effort to tighten oversight of the country’s mammoth tech sector.
China’s Crackdown on Its Biggest Companies
With market-trembling new rules and investigations, Beijing’s crackdown on its most prominent companies has seeped into nearly every aspect of modern life, wiping billions of dollars from Chinese and Hong Kong-listed stocks and bamboozling investment sages.
LGBTQ Rights Groups Blocked on China’s Biggest Social Media App
Social media accounts belonging to major university LGBTQ rights groups in China have been blocked from the popular WeChat app, prompting fears of targeted censorship and calls Wednesday for an online protest.
A Third Child? No, Thanks, Say Young Chinese
China wants its women to have more children but for many young people, the government’s big promises of support mean little because of soaring living costs and changing mindsets about families.
China Skyscraper Wobbles, Spreading Panic in Downtown Shenzhen
One of China’s tallest skyscrapers was evacuated Tuesday after it began to shake, sending panicked shoppers scampering to safety in the southern city of Shenzhen.
In China’s ‘Red Holy Land’, Tourists Mark Communist Party Centenary
Tourists pose for photos on Chairman Mao’s bed as the Chinese Communist Party — much-criticized overseas — marks its centenary year at home with a PR push including office history outings, big-budget movies and carefully constructed media tours.
Russian Man ‘Trapped’ on Chinese Reality TV Show Finally Voted Out
The reality TV ordeal of a Russian who joined a Chinese boy band show by accident — and made it to the finals despite urging fans to vote him off — has finally ended after nearly three months.
China Squeezes Western Brands as Xinjiang Backlash Builds
China on Thursday launched a PR war on Western brands critical of rights abuses against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, with celebrities severing ties to Nike and Adidas, H&M facing a boycott and Burberry dumped from a deal with a gaming giant.
‘Very Inconvenient’: Chinese Migrants Torn over Staying Put for Lunar New Year
China’s migrant workers face a difficult choice this Lunar New Year holiday: long journeys home fraught with coronavirus restrictions, or financial incentives enticing them to stay put.
The Ex-Cop Behind China’s Largest Gay Dating App
Browsing the internet as a young policeman in China, Ma Baoli recalls the sheer volume of web pages telling him he was a pervert, diseased and in need of treatment — simply because he was gay.
WHO Experts to Wade into Tricky Territory in Hunt for Virus Origins
A year after the outbreak started, WHO experts are due in China for a highly politicized visit to explore the origins of the coronavirus, in a trip trailed by accusations of cover-ups, conspiracy and fears of a whitewash.
China Takes on Escalating Conflicts around the World
From remote Himalayan valleys to small tropical islands and tense Western capitals, an increasingly assertive China is taking on conflicts around the world like never before as the United States retreats.
Zynn: TikTok’s Biggest Competitor Pays Users to Watch Videos
Chinese short video app makers have taken their rivalry overseas, with TikTok facing stiff competition from a newcomer that has surged in popularity abroad — by paying users to keep scrolling.
China’s New Security Law Deemed as ‘The End of Hong Kong’
China’s parliament said it will introduce a proposal Friday for a national security law in Hong Kong at its annual session, in a move the US warned would “highly destabilizing” for the financial hub.
China’s Sci-fi Quarantine Watch with Robots and Cameras
Robots delivering meals, ghostly figures in hazmat suits and cameras pointed at front doors: China’s methods to enforce coronavirus quarantines have looked like a sci-fi dystopia for legions of people.
Wuhan Returns to Work Without Letting Down Its Guard
A bride in a long white gown poses by Wuhan’s East Lake with her groom, face masks off momentarily as a photographer snaps pre-wedding photos.
What is the Wuhan Virus Lab?
Nestled in the hilly outskirts of Wuhan, the city at the heart of the coronavirus crisis, a Chinese high-security biosafety laboratory is now the subject of US claims it may be the cradle of the pandemic.
Under Pressure: China Raises Coronavirus Death Toll by 50% in Wuhan
China’s coronavirus ground-zero city of Wuhan on Friday admitted missteps in tallying its death toll as it abruptly raised the count by 50 percent — and as world doubts mounted about how transparent China has been during the crisis.