history

What’s in a Garden?

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

A new exhibition explores the meaning of gardens, from ancient China to Renaissance Italy.

Guo Xinyue

The Mother Line: Oldest Matrilineal Society Unearthed in China

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

An archeological site in Shandong province has provided evidence of a matrilineal society dating back to 2750 to 2500 BC, shattering previous assumptions.

Ding Rui

The Lost Art of Chinese Purple

SPECIAL PROJECTS

The nearly 3,000-year-old synthetic pigment’s invention has long been a mystery. Now, archaeologists think they’ve finally cracked the code.

Wu Haiyun

Dot Dot Dot: What the Last Ever Telegrams From Hangzhou Say

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

As one of China’s last telegraph stations prepared to shut down, thousands lined up to say goodbye — in ink, by hand, one word at a time.

Chen Yiru

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: How the Perm Styled Shanghai

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Over its 100-year history in China, the often-maligned hairstyle has gone in and out of fashion amid warfare, gender politics, and cultural shifts.

Office of  Shanghai Chronicles

The True Story of How a Chinese Farmer Died in 1830s London

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

Known to history only as Hoo Loo, he bled out on an operating table 5,000 miles from home. How did he get there? Was he a victim? And what can his story tell us about the rise of modern medicine?

4,000 Tombs Under Xi’an Airport Get a Terminal of Their Own

Beneath the runways of one of China’s busiest airports, in the ancient capital of Xi’an, lies a forgotten city of the dead. Now, it’s a museum.

Jiang Xinyi

Drawing From Bronze

How ancient bronzeware inspired two hit Chinese film series.

Jin Fangting

From Lane to Block: The Evolution of Shanghai’s Modern Apartments

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

From humble lane-style buildings to grand block apartments, Shanghai’s historic residential architecture tells the story of a city in transformation.

Liu Gang

China Overhauls Heritage Law With Higher Fines, Stricter Oversight

To curb heritage destruction, the revised law also mandates stricter local oversight and removes time limits on reclaiming looted artifacts.

Dutch Courage: The Chinese Who Took Root in Rotterdam

Using old family photos, a new book explores the struggles and stereotypes that faced early Chinese settlers in the Netherlands.

The Paper

This New Year, Try Treating Snakes With Respect, Not Fear

Snakes weren’t always “little dragons.” In early Chinese cultures, they were powerful symbols of vitality and strength in their own right.

Lin Wensi

Of Gourds and Gods: The Art of an Ancient Chinese Board Game

Once a traditional Spring Festival pastime, this 2,000-year-old game integrates elements of fantasy and imperial culture.

Sheng Wenqiang

When Beijing Was China’s Most International City 

A newly translated book explores how international residents have shaped and recorded life in China’s ancient capital for hundreds of years.

In Shaanxi, a Long-Buried Han Dynasty Tomb Is a Study in Power

The tomb of a Han dynasty prime minister, found with gold artifacts and rare clay seals, offers insights into ancient feudal China.

Li Xin

The Forgotten Scholars Who Brought Chinese Laws to the World

How do you make Confucian concepts legible to international scholars of law?

Wu Jingjian

One Million Years Later, Yunxian Man Finally Gets a Glow Up 

Using advanced scanning, modeling, and forensic techniques, Chinese scientists have reconstructed the faces of Yunxian Man from million-year-old skulls.

Writing on the Wall: The Bold, Blocky Print That Scripted Socialism

Spread via handbooks and murals, the blocky, easily legible ‘meishuzi’ characters of the 1950s and ’60s gave Chinese socialism its visual language.

Liu Yuli

Copy Right: The Painstaking Method and Magic of Mastering a Replica

Across the country, museums are commissioning recreations of ancient artifacts. But beyond simple replicas, these efforts aim to revive the techniques and craftsmanship that shaped China’s cultural legacy.