Forty years ago, migrants from China’s countryside transformed its economy. But today, the labor market is markedly different. We look at where aging migrant workers go when they reach retirement age, and why the assembly line no longer attract youths. We also explore depressed teens’ search for understanding, take a ride on China’s disappearing rural buses, assess renowned author’s quest to shed his sexist reputation, and remember the glory days of wangba—China’s smokey, wild internet cafes.
More educated, autonomous, and aware of their rights than the previous generation, China’s newest migrant workers are ditching factory work for the digital economy
Jia Pingwa’s ‘The Sojourn Teashop,’ now with a new English translation, is a bold experiment for an author often lambasted for his characterization of women
Once common sights on sidewalks, many old professions are giving way to online apps and urbanization. Photographer Huang Ruide captures these fading trades on camera before they’re gone for good.