SHANGHAI — Julia Li has spent much of the past few years wrestling with a dilemma: She was married, in her late 30s, and still undecided about whether to start a family. Li had been putting off having children for years, but now she was running out of time — and excuses. Her family and friends were urging her to have a baby on an … Continue reading China Is Pushing for a Baby Boom. It’s Getting a Baby Bust.
Xie Yuke has attended over 40 weddings in the past two years and is now making a living from it. The 22-year-old has flown more than 140,000 kilometers and traveled around China working as a professional bridesmaid. It’s a fast-growing industry in China and is “expected to grow by 25% to 30% a year,” Cao Zhonghua, an expert at the Chinese Traditional Culture Promotion Council, told state … Continue reading Bridesmaids Go Professional
SHANGHAI – Wenwen has a lot of extra harem pants. Not to mention extra shirts, hoodies, and jeans. She runs a beloved, budget-priced boutique in Shanghai’s former French Concession since 2008. It’s the top-rated clothing store in Shanghai, on Yelp-like app Dianping. This year, the market skipped straight from winter to summer. “I had just ironed all my spring clothes before the lockdown,” she told … Continue reading Shanghai Spring/Summer 2022: The Season That Never Was
SHANGHAI — It’s Monday afternoon at a riverside park in Xuhui District. Some people are taking a walk along the walkway. Some are chatting on a bench and looking at ships on the river, playing saxophone, or doing tai chi. Some younger visitors are skateboarding and picnicking with friends. And other visitors are chasing each other and wrestling, sniffing each other’s butts, or barking at … Continue reading Even On a Leash, They’re Happy to Be Outside
Before the pandemic, Xia Chaoyun, usually spent the May 1 holiday traveling with her family. A resident of Hangzhou, sometimes she went to other cities in Zhejiang province; sometimes, or neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea, if the holiday is extended to five days. This year, China’s Labor Day holiday was five days, including a weekend. But both Xia’s company and her daughter’s school … Continue reading As Long-Distance Travel Plummets, China Vacations Close to Home
When East Meets West 