Going Postal at the Qiaopiju
The Chinese Qiaopiju, or “overseas letter offices,” lasted for a century, ending only when the foreign governments implemented anti-communist banking controls.
Inside China’s Psychoboom
In Learning to Love, linguistic and medical anthropologist Sonya Pritzker examines the efficacy of group therapy in contemporary China.
Debt-Trap Diplomacy
How justified are recent claims that China has been buying significant quantities of debt to undermine the sovereignty of African nations?
Zheng He, the Great Eunuch Admiral
Captured, castrated, and forced to serve the Hongwu Emperor, Zeng He subsequently led a massive Ming fleet of treasure ships across an ever-expanding empire.
Remembering Sun Yat Sen Abroad
Museums around the world honor the history of the revolutionary, but as Singapore’s Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall shows, those memories aren’t easy to read.
Confucius in the European Enlightenment
Many Enlightenment thinkers admired Confucius, leading to a debate over whether classical Chinese philosophy was compatible with Christianity.
Dragon Swallows the Sun: Predicting Eclipses in China
China had a long history of astronomy before the arrival of Europeans, but the politics of absolute rule led to the eventual embrace of Western methods.
Chinese Science Fiction Before The Three Body Problem
Viewing the genre as a means to spread modern knowledge, Chinese novelists have been writing science-fiction stories since at least 1902.
Reviving Chinese Festivals
The government of China has been working to revitalize traditional celebrations that were suppressed after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.
Exporting Chinese Acrobats
Chinese acrobats have been impressing circus-goers at shows like Cirque du Soleil since the 1980s. How did these gymnastic marvels make their way to the West?