For many couples, a relationship starts with a swipe of a finger or a glance across a crowded room. For Gao Yuchen and Li Zhaoxuan, it all began with a bloody battle on the online shooter game “Apex Legends.” The college students admired each other’s ability to slaughter their rivals inside the game’s digital battlefield. After a few games, they began chatting, and then Gao … Continue reading Looking for Love in China? Get Into Esports.
Three years into her degree in Chinese language education, Dong Zhenzhen realized she was on the wrong path. As she learned more about education, the student began to understand that she wouldn’t be happy as a teacher. She wanted a job that offered freedom, creativity, and the chance to quickly increase her income. Working in a school would give her none of those things. “The … Continue reading For China’s Gen-Z, Entrepreneurship Represents a Ticket to Freedom
It sounded too good to be true, almost like finding a cheat code for Chinese real estate. Tired of big city life after years in Beijing and Hangzhou, freelancer Pan Deng set out as a digital nomad in 2019. The Hebei native decided to go to Guangzhou, seeking warm weather and delicious Cantonese food. But when he got off the highway on the outskirts of the southern … Continue reading The Winners of China’s Housing Bust: Burnouts and Beach Bums
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
When East Meets West 