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Letters of Revolution: The Failed Movement to Eradicate Chinese Characters
The campaign to replace traditional characters with a phonetic system reflected Chinese society’s desire for change during the 20th century
China’s Revolutionary Youth on Screen
Three movies and one TV series to learn about the May Fourth Movement, one of China’s most important protests
Why China’s Educated, Jobless Grads Relate to a Pathetic Scholar
Chinese youth are identifying with the struggles of the protagonist in Lu Xun’s “Kong Yiji,” as they face unemployment and limited job prospects despite their education.
How Did China End Up Celebrating Two New Years?
In the early 20th century, China tried to ban its millennia-old lunar calendar in the name of modernity—with mixed success
How Netizens Adapt Lu Xun to Modern Problems
What if the renowned 20th-century writer was alive to splurge on Singles’ Day?
Turtle Eggs and Scorpion Hearts: The Colorful World of Chinese Cursing
Discover China’s favorite swear words and their cultural contexts
How Netizens Adapt Classic Literature to the Covid Age
Literary-minded social media posters are adapting famous works for the Covid-19 era
The Art of Saying Nothing
Chinese netizens have become experts at “feihua wenxue”: using superfluous language to get out of any awkward situation
SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
The Butterfly Effect: Redeeming China’s Early Romance Novels
How “Mandarin Duck and Butterfly,” a romantic literary movement from early 20th century China, became forgotten in the tides of modernization
How China Adopted Western Punctuation
The story of how Chinese punctuation evolved from the Han dynasty to today
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