Eyes Only: How China’s Party Leaders Get Their Information Martin K. Dimitrov In China, as in all communist regimes, there exist two types of media: one is publicly available and the other is restricted and accessible only to regime insiders who possess the proper clearances. This second type of media, known as neibu 内部 … more
After dinner, Alice, a Chinese immigrant in Australia, sat on the couch and opened the Xiaohongshu app on her phone. After moving to Melbourne from Adelaide last year, Xiaohongshu had been Alice’s go-to for trending restaurants and cafes, and would soon become an information hub for pet care after she adopted a puppy, also through … more
With 281 languages from nine language families,[1] China has a high degree of linguistic diversity. The distribution of speakers of these languages is greatly uneven. Of a total population of more than 1.4 billion, 91.11 percent are Han Chinese and speak Putonghua and/or other Sinitic languages;[2] the remaining 8.89 percent of the population, the non-Han … more
Government digitisation initiatives worldwide are infamous for budget overruns, delays and failures to deliver on promises. China is no exception. Hundreds of headlines worldwide have claimed that the Social Credit System will control every step of citizens’ lives. These narratives were rarely matched by the reality. The Social Credit System for the most part does … more
Professor Ma Junya is a historian at Nanjing University. Ma’s book, The Sacrificed Land: Transformation of Huaibei’s Social Ecology, 1680–1949, first published by the National Taiwan University Press in 2010, is a seminal study of the socioeconomic history of the Huaibei region, which covers the area north of the Huai River, including northern Jiangsu, northern … more
The following translation is an excerpt from an episode of the popular Chinese-language podcast, StoryFM 故事FM. With a subscriber base of over two million, the podcast, hosted by Kou Aizhe 寇爱哲, is celebrated for inviting Chinese people from different regions and backgrounds to tell their own story, in their own voice. The editors Kou Aizhe: … more
China is home to the world’s largest ageing population. In 2023, there were 216.76 million people over 65 years old: more than 15.4 percent of the total population and much higher than the global average of 10 percent.[1] China is on track to be a ‘super-aged’ society in 2030, when at least 20 percent of … more
On a scorching hot afternoon in July 2023, the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manneseh Sogavare, met with President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People for the mandatory grip and grin for the cameras. China’s official media had made much of Sogavare’s visit, and he did not disappoint, remarking upon his arrival … more
Located in the heart of Sydney’s inner west, Burwood Chinatown has branded itself as a modern Asian food paradise that provides the ‘best authentic Asian street food’.[1] Unlike its counterpart in Sydney’s CBD—which centres on a pedestrian laneway that begins and ends with two 50-year-old red ceremonial gates—the younger, vibrant Burwood Chinatown is a two-level … more
World Cup winner Lionel Messi’s visit to Hong Kong with Inter Miami on 4 February stirred major controversy after he sat out a one-off exhibition game against the Hong Kong League Selection Team. Despite a major promotion campaign promising fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance of seeing their idol in action, the soccer star remained on the … more
