Zoey Liu, a senior student at a top-notch high school in Beijing, didn’t think COVID-19 would flare up again. The fact that it’s reappeared less than a month before the gaokao, China’s grueling college entrance examination, has only made matters worse. “I didn’t take it seriously when I heard about the first new case and thought it was under control,” Liu tells Sixth Tone. “But now … Continue reading The Stress Test: Waiting for ‘Gaokao’
GUANGDONG, South China — Zhuojun first became curious about sex at age 21. Her school — an institution for young people with special needs in the southern city of Guangzhou — had arranged a sex education class for the students, and the lesson left her with all kinds of questions. Soon after, she saw two classmates kissing in the stairwell. She asked her teacher what … Continue reading Lacking Support, China’s Autistic Adults Search for Love
SHANDONG, East China — “What are the differences between men’s and women’s bodies?” asks Jiang Lingling. The 11 young children huddled around her look thoughtful for a moment. “Girls’ chests are bigger than boys’,” says one boy. “But Captain America’s chest is also big,” counters another. At the back of the room, the children’s parents start to giggle. But Jiang isn’t fazed. She’s used to … Continue reading China’s Newest Cram School Craze: Sex Ed Camps
GUIZHOU, Southwest China — It’s late afternoon, and, indifferent to the slight drizzle, children are chasing each other around the playground. A few floors above, a group of retirees is sitting on chairs or leaning against the railing, looking down. “It’s my favorite time of the day,” 85-year-old Liu Guirong says. “Watching them play is very invigorating and satisfying.” Liu lives in Xiyanghong, a combined … Continue reading Pensioners and Preschoolers Mix it Up in Chinese Nursery
SHANDONG, East China — Huang Wenjuan never thought there was anything wrong with her approach to parenting until her teenage daughter stormed out of their house after a big fight. Huang and her husband searched all over the city that snowy February night, and eventually found her in the stairwell of their apartment building. “She could see us, and said she just wanted us to … Continue reading Parenting Crisis Sends China’s Moms and Dads Back to School
When East Meets West 