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Vital Signs cover
2018 ISSUE 3

Vital Signs

A first-hand look at attempts to reform China’s aging healthcare system is highlighted by the poignant diary of a Beijing grandfather’s dying days. Relive a decade of human flesh searches, visit “coconut country,” and everything you need to know about China’s booming beverage battles—and much more.

The cover story "City of Life and Death" from Vital Signs by the World of Chinese discusses China's healthcare system.
"Bean Scenes" a story from Vital signs shows some of the independent coffee shops that are becoming a second home.
A story from Vital Signs, "Coconut Country" talks about the coconut industry of Hainan.

From this issue

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SOCIAL CHINESE

Bad Romance

The melodramatic writings of Qiong Yao have inspired a whole slew of slushy satire

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HISTORY, TRAVEL

Of Motorbikes and Memories

Learning diaspora history on the back of a Vietnamese bike

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FOOD, TRAVEL

Coconut Country

A day in Dongjiao, the Hainan community where a single fruit is the source of everything

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ARTS, HISTORY

City of Angels

A forgotten Silk Road relic sheds light on early Christianity in China

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LIVING IN CHINA

Love in an Old Climate

What is it like to face the end of one’s life—and see one’s loved ones grow old—in a country with an imperfect medical system?

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BOOKS, TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Kids Today

Who will shape China’s youth narrative—millennials, or the Westerners who can’t stop writing about them?

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HEALTH

City of Life and Death

Facing a growing crisis, the private health industry is betting on dedicated cities for seniors—and banking on foreigners to help

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CHINESE CHARACTERS

On the Character: 治

Illness is often seen as a disease of disorder in the Chinese language, requiring firm “treatment”

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SOCIETY

Sins of the Flesh

Ten years of the human flesh search, China’s online vigilante system—and its devastating real-life consequences

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TECHNOLOGY

Learning Difficulties

“Language exchange” apps may be making study harder—by being too popular

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BOOKS, MODERN HISTORY

The Devil’s Advocates

Paul French’s latest book reconstructs Jazz Age Shanghai in sin and splendor

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TECHNOLOGY

Killer App

How an indie social network conquered China’s entertainment market

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FOOD, TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Veggie Values

Spurred by health concerns and Buddhist benefits, vegetarianism is taking root in China

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FICTION

The Pigeon and the Bum | Short Story

A city’s renewal upends several human and animal lives—a tale from Chinese author Jiang Zijian

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STREET TALK

Money Talks

Slang in poverty and richness

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FICTION

I’ve Never Had a Winning Ticket | Short Story

A tale of chance and mishap, from Chinese author Jiang Zijian

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FOOD

Bubble Trouble

The cutthroat war behind China’s creative milk tea craze

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SOCIETY

Bean Scenes

Café culture blossoms as Chinese youths seek homes away from home

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ARTS, TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Film: Desires and Deception

A pair of hit documentaries lay bare the desperate struggle to strike it rich in the world’s fastest-growing economy

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ARTS, TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Salty Peppa

Porcine BBC children’s icon falls foul of overzealous censors

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FOOD

Crafty Conglomerates

With Big Beer looming, is China’s nascent craft-brewing scene facing its biggest threat yet?

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ARTS

For Art’s Sake

A wealthy patron is putting philanthropy first, opening Hangzhou’s first non-profit foreign art museum

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TECHNOLOGY

What’s Bugging You?

Vast cockroach farm uses AI and secrecy to promote “miracle cure”

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NEWS

Complainer’s Calamity

China has a history of business abusing local laws to persecute enemies

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FILM

‘Silence’ Proves Golden

The critical and commercial success of two recent indie movies shows the growing clout of non-mainstream cinema

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