ENTERTAINMENT

Beyond the Crown: Miss Hong Kong’s Shifting Influence

How Hong Kong’s once-iconic beauty pageant evolved through decades of cultural shifts, media scrutiny, and changing definitions of beauty

TV

Why 1980s Hong Kong Novels Still Dominate Chinese Screens

Hong Kong novelist Yi Shu’s works are being adapted for movie and TV, but not everyone is sold on the messaging of these female-centric stories

LIFE

Can Young Chinese Sustain Their Newfound Rural Life by Simply Farming the Land?

As competition in cities increases, a small but growing contingent of Chinese youth are returning to the countryside to till the land and look for inner peace

TV

Three-Body Conundrum: Why Liu Cixin’s Trilogy Defies Adaptation

Three-Body’s epic scale and its fiercely guarded fan base present challenges to adaptations

FILM

China’s Revolutionary Youth on Screen

Three movies and one TV series to learn about the May Fourth Movement, one of China’s most important protests

ENTERTAINMENT

High Stakes in Short Takes: China’s Booming Micro-Drama Business

Insider anxiety, regulatory scrutiny, and widespread criticism challenge the micro-drama industry in sustaining its billion-dollar saga

FILM

5 Monster Shows and Films for Hungry Ghost Festival

Ghosts might be restricted on Chinese screens, but there are plenty of monster films to watch this Zhongyuan Festival

FOOD

Powered By Steamy Gossip: Stories From 100 Breakfast Stalls

A TV director traveled all around China filming traditional breakfasts, and became a morning meal convert in the process

BOOKS

Can China’s Detective Novels Finally Make Crime Pay?

China’s long quest to produce a great crime novel

MUSIC

Is China’s Boy Band Boom Over?

Ten years ago, TFBoys spurred a boom in Chinese boy bands. But now fan fatigue, investor apathy, and the pandemic threaten to burst the pop star bubble.