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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Domestic tourists in China made 6.5 billion trips and spent 6.3 trillion yuan (US$930 billion) in 2025, both record highs.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

China aims to grow its innovative drug market by more than 20% a year through 2030, under a plan that also calls for listed pharmaceutical companies to spend more than 10% of their revenue on research and development.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate averaged 5.2% in the first eight months of 2026, unchanged from a year earlier.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

China’s annual AI token consumption is projected to rise from 100 quadrillion tokens in 2026 to more than 35 quintillion by 2030.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

China’s National Social Security Fund earned 390.7 billion yuan ($58 billion) from investments in 2025, posting a 13.22% return. Its assets totaled 3.8 trillion yuan at year-end.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Chinese robot Tiangong Ultra won the 100-meter race at the World Humanoid Robot Games in 8.64 seconds, nearly a second faster than Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Young Chinese are being sold a dream of a time before malls and chain restaurants. Read more: ow.ly/8uIz50ZCjC8

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

A court in Shenzhen, southern China’s Guangdong province, on Thursday sentenced Xu Jiayin, founder of Evergrande Group, to life in prison after convicting him of multiple crimes. The court also fined Evergrande Group 8.82 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) and Evergrande Real Estate Group 7 billion yuan.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Workers unload the season’s first catch of swimming crabs in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, Aug. 12, 2026, as merchants arrive to buy fresh crabs from the East China Sea. VCG

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Nearly 160,000 visits were recorded at the Shanghai Book Fair over the weekend, including more than 70,000 on Sunday, a single-day record for the main venue.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

China’s millennials have taken up the hardcore fitness activity in huge numbers. Now, they’re pushing their aging parents to join them. Read more: ow.ly/ESTW50ZzO8A

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

In an aging mahjong manufacturing hub, factories are redesigning tiles, expanding exports, and racing to meet a sudden wave of American demand. Read more: ow.ly/p2WL50ZzNZV

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

China exported US$34.4 billion worth of construction machinery in the first half of 2026, up 21.7% from a year earlier, with more than 40% going to Belt and Road countries and regions.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Researchers spend decades deciphering ancient texts and understanding bygone science. Now, their once-overlooked disciplines are becoming part of China’s national cultural strategy. Read more: ow.ly/V3f250ZzKG2

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

China registered 3.3 million marriages and 1.4 million divorces in the first half of 2026, with marriages down 7.5% and divorces up 3.9% from a year earlier.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Chinese adults account for nearly 19% of the world’s 2.1 billion adults who are overweight or obese.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Chinese residents made 3.5 billion domestic trips in the first half of 2026, up 5.4% from a year earlier, spending 3.2 trillion yuan (US$476 billion).

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A basketball-loving volunteer has gone viral for his lightning-fast court-cleaning skills, stealing the spotlight during a game in eastern China.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Some of China’s rafting attractions have added a wild twist this summer, hiding bear-costumed performers along their rivers to surprise, entertain, and occasionally attack visitors during their rides.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

In an aging mahjong manufacturing hub, factories are redesigning tiles, expanding exports, and racing to meet a sudden wave of American demand. Read more: ow.ly/Ycln50Zxn6q

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

China’s population aged 60 and above grew by 100 million over the past decade, reaching 323.4 million by the end of 2025, nearly one in four people nationwide.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

China’s trade in services totaled 3.8 trillion yuan (US$560 billion) in the first half of 2026, up 8.3% from a year earlier.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Sixth Tone is looking for a seasoned, passionate freelance editor.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

From dim sum to char siu, dozens of Cantonese culinary terms have entered the global lexicon, reflecting more than a century of migration, trade, and cultural exchange. Read more: ow.ly/6mhI50ZuyrV

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

For years, scenic spots and historical sites have capitalized on online trends and “check-in” culture, leading to what tourists describe as “tacky” aesthetics. After the backlash, sites are changing their tune. Read more: ow.ly/QzqU50ZoabO

The heart-shaped sculpture in Qinghai province, Sept. 23, 2025. VCG

Left: Rainbow-colored stairs at a scenic spot in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, 2025; right: Plastic flowers decorate a waterfall at a scenic spot in Luoyang, Henan province, 2025. Images from VCG and Xiaohongshu

A street sign reads, “I’m in Chongqing, missing you,” in Chongqing, 2022. VCG

Rainbow lights at a karst cave in Fenghuang County, Hunan province, 2024. VCG

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Is it possible to travel across modern China without a smartphone? Yang Hao spent 134 days answering that question — awkwardly, slowly, and on purpose. Read more: ow.ly/EtfZ50ZhwwU

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Erling Haaland, the Norway and Manchester City striker has become an online obsession in China, with fans creating memes and remixes exaggerating his size, expressions, and on-field feats. 🔗https://ow.ly/E3hf50Zc8Tk

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Photographer Wu Fang reflects on 15 years and 20,000 photos capturing the life of a bereaved mother who gave birth to twins at 60. Learn more: ow.ly/WfKA50Z324q

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Has China Fallen Out of Love With Love? Facing mounting uncertainty, many young Chinese are asking if love is too much of a risk. As uncertainty deepens, many young Chinese are coming to see love less as destiny than as a risk to manage. Read more: www.sixthtone.com/news/1018362

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

China’s Next Megaprojects Are Built for Big Science Data shows how China’s infrastructure drive is beginning to include new scientific instruments built to explore the frontiers of physics, astronomy, and energy. Read the full story: ow.ly/3xh550YJxA2

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

The geography of power consumption reveals both established patterns and emerging shifts. Major economic provinces like Guangdong in the south and Jiangsu, Shandong, and Zhejiang in the east are still the country’s biggest power consumers.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

The secondary sector still dominates China’s power grid, accounting for 64% of China’s total electricity consumption in 2025.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

China’s power usage now exceeds the combined consumption of the EU, Russia, India, and Japan as renewables drive a cleaner energy mix. Read more: ow.ly/iOkb50Yv9pK

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Why Young Chinese Think the World Is a ‘Ragtag Troupe’ A 2025 buzzword speaks to how many in China have grown disenchanted by once highly respected companies and institutions. Read more: ow.ly/jWYy50XUBKH

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Chinese cinemagoers are increasingly discerning. They prefer high-quality movies over holiday blockbusters, and pick films that appeal to their demographic. Read more: ow.ly/L9mj50XQetx

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

“Society is constantly changing, and so are people, but ‘change’ does not solely mean ‘progress.’” After leaving education at 16 to work in factories, Zhang Sai is turning factory life into literature and documenting the people and pressures of China’s vast factory workforce. ow.ly/UCXg50XztQQ

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Marathon organizers and runners across China face abrupt cancellations and new curbs, as officials rush to rein in a sport that expanded faster than it could be managed. Read more: ow.ly/zF6V50XlsYe

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

In her latest book, Professor He Guimei challenges the framework of “Chineseness” at its core, highlighting a need to frame it in terms of civilization, rather than nation, and to change how we talk about tradition when constructing ideas of the present. Read more: ow.ly/BjIc50Xakor

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Sponge gourd soup, a staple in Chinese home cooking, has unexpectedly gone viral online — not for its taste, but as a metaphor for the way parents often dismiss their children’s feelings, as well as gaslighting in familial relationships more generally. Read more: ow.ly/bWv650X03Ns

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

“The kids just grew up. Those who used to fight now have jobs, wives, kids. Those still single have mellowed out. They treat me with respect,” Xu told Sixth Tone.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

In London, at the grave of Karl Marx, one Chinese visitor left a Labubu doll. The father of socialism, too, deserved a taste of modern consumerism.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

At the resting place of Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, known for letting wine stir his genius into timeless verse, visitors have offered liquor from across China and abroad.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

In southwestern Sichuan province, fans left high-speed train tickets at the tomb of Zhuge Liang, the famed adviser to Liu Bei, founder of the Shu-Han Dynasty, to help the statesman fulfill his long-held dream of a northern expedition against Cao’s heirs.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

One of the more visible examples appeared in central Henan province. At the tomb of Cao Cao, a warlord said to suffer from migraines and a central figure in the classic Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” visitors began leaving ibuprofen.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

With 16.7 million charging points, China now has the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network — about two chargers for every five EVs.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Ten workers are dead and four remain missing after a section of the Jianzha Yellow River Bridge collapsed early Friday during construction on the Sichuan–Qinghai Railway, according to Qinghai’s emergency management authorities.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

resh off the global success of ‘Black Myth: Wukong,’ Chinese game studio Game Science has announced its next title: Black Myth: Zhong Kui. The studio released a cinematic teaser on Wednesday but said the project is still in early development.

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

China has punished 19 officials and revoked the credentials of a trainee doctor at the center of a high-profile nepotism scandal, in a case that has fueled months of public anger over nepotism and corruption in elite hospitals and medical schools. Read more: ow.ly/NIMF50WHz3e

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

More than 500 robots from 16 countries competed in the first World Humanoid Robot Games, with events ranging from Olympic-style sports to real-world tasks like hotel cleaning and medical sorting. Read more: ow.ly/cfVw50WHiqS

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Sixth Tone @sixthtone.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Over 7,700 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in Guangdong province since the beginning of July, exacerbated by heavy rainfall and thriving mosquito populations. Read more: ow.ly/zPNt50WAxcj

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