The Supplement

When Maps Go Tidy and Place Names Go Wild in Rural China

Somewhere in inland China, a place once known as “一群猪” (Yi Qun Zhu; A Herd of Pigs) has become “一碗水” (Yi Wan Shui; A Bowl of Water). Elsewhere, uglier names are being scrubbed away too; and a lively argument...

The Quiet Changzhou Lane that Gave China the Sound of itself

Somewhere along a quiet lane by Changzhou’s old canal, a man who changed the sound of modern China still sits in the half-light. His former home is full of memory, sorrow and wit; yet the world he helped pronounce...

Where there’s Muck there’s Money! Public Toilets 100% Reimagined

Hardly once polite talk around the dinner table, the subject of using a public toilet has recently become just that, thanks to a remarkable innovation out of Chengdu which has made a discussion as to answering nature’s call around...

Commandment #11; Thou Shalt Not Sponsor a Green Train in China

Society, by and large, is forgiving of advertising. We may frown when Alipay takes a few seconds to open in order to serve us a sponsored message, but in the main, it’s ok. But when does commercialism come crushing...

Ming Dynasty Baijiu Tech Breaks Records in Fertile Lands

The sprawling plains of northern Jiangsu belie that which lurks under foot; millions of years of geological change at work resulting in a superlative diamond in the world of liquor production. It’s one recently come to be officially recognised...

Wuxi; A Metropolis of Music Materialises in Birthplace of Legend

Known for boasting the beginnings of China’s Wu culture brought about Wuxi people’s reputation for being smart, making them an employer’s dream. That indeed spurred the region’s industrial development, but it also gave rise to their having a diverse...

China’s Banana Eating Skydiver Somersaults Her Way to 2,500 Jumps

Economic development and high-speed trains may be how the world ponders China’s progress, but little can say better how far the country has really come over the past 25 years than a young woman leaping into a crystal-blue sky...

Connectivity! What on Earth is Yangtze River Delta Integration?

Something is immediately apparent upon crossing the border from Jiangsu into Zhejiang Province. A sudden deterioration in quality of road surface. 从江苏越过边境进入浙江省后,一些事情立即显现出来。路面质量突然恶化。 And that happens at the border’s toll gate, where the Jiangsu government collects a slice of cash from every...

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Louis Vuitton & Milk Tea Meet in Suzhou; it’s a ¥10.3 Million Fight

how on Earth did a Parisian house of luxury end up in a Suzhou courtroom over a milk tea...

Less Sex, More Pressure and a Story China is Still Learning

China’s private lives are not slipping neatly into silence. The latest survey points to a more awkward picture. Younger...

China’s Medical Holiday Is Turning into the Cheaper Option for the West

Now the arithmetic is changing. For many western patients, a flight to China for medical work, dental treatment or...

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