SHANGHAI — The dogs running around Qin Kong’s downtown office couldn’t appear more at home. Clean, curious, and obedient, the two pooches behave as if they’ve lived with the 33-year-old for years. Yet just three weeks ago, the animals were in a rescue center. “They were trembling on the way here,” says Qin. “When we were holding them, they wet themselves in fear.” Qin and … Continue reading Dogs’ Lives: Rescuing China’s Growing Pack of Strays
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
ZHEJIANG, East China — On a theater stage in the city of Hangzhou, a male character reflects on the time he date-raped a woman. “I finally broke through her defense and forcefully penetrated her. Controlling her, I felt the happiness of a conqueror. The insertion of my penis seems to have stamped a seal on her body, a label marking my sovereignty.” The unflinching scene … Continue reading How ‘The Penis Monologues’ Challenges China’s Toxic Masculinity
SHANGHAI — When Chen Lijun explains the damage giving birth can do to the body, the young women in her audience gasp. Unsatisfying sex, prolapsed organs, and an inability to hold in your pee aren’t exactly the sorts of things their mothers told them about. But, to her audience’s obvious relief, there are solutions, says Chen, a health instructor who specializes in the pelvic floor — the … Continue reading Fighting China’s Shame and Ignorance on Postpartum Incontinence
BEIJING — Sitting on the couch in Xiao Jia’s apartment, I learned how difficult it is to apply makeup to a face you cannot see. Xiao, 27, gradually lost her eyesight during her teens. Determined to avoid the life in society’s shadows that most of her blind compatriots have, she channeled her love of painting into studies on becoming a makeup artist. It was a … Continue reading My Makeover With China’s Blind Beautician
When East Meets West 