Shanghai Daily
XUAN PAPER: Where 1,000 years of ink still breathe
Soft yet resilient, pure white yet richly textured, Xuan paper has carried China’s written words and painted worlds for more than 1,000 years. Favored by calligraphers and painters for its remarkable ability to absorb ink while preserving clarity and...
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GLORY, FAME OF HUAIHAI ROAD M.
Huaihai Road M., Shanghai’s ‘Walk of Fame’ and ‘Champs-Élysées,’ is where modern Chinese fashion was born. And the elegant 2km road is also where the city’s history, glamor and creativity still shine side by side.
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SKOREAN TOURISTS REVEL IN HIDDEN SHOPPING GEM
An RT-Mart outlet in downtown Shanghai’s Jing’an District has become a shopping hotspot for visitors from South Korea. The Pingxingguan Road store receives an average of 200-300 Korean tourists daily and 500-plus on weekends.
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Where to soak for relaxation in and beyond Shanghai
Winter in southern China feels very different from the cold in the north — and that, in itself, is the perfect excuse to soak in a hot spring, isn’t it? Whether you’re visiting Shanghai for a short trip or living here long term, these bathhouses are...
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From clay type to global print: China’s movable-type legacy
At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, hundreds of dancers moved in and out of square boxes topped with Chinese characters, forming and dissolving words in perfect rhythm. The striking image symbolized one of ancient China’s four great...
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DATE IN PARK: FINDING PARTNERS LATE IN LIFE
Pensioners, with liberal amount of time and leisure at their disposal, are taking initiatives to seek a partner. A corner in the People’s Park in downtown Shanghai is an ideal place for blind dates though youngsters also look out for companions.
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‘Five Centers’ are not just for Shanghai but for the nation
Asea-rail intermodal train loaded with solar panels, auto parts and other goods departed from the Luchao Port container terminal in Shanghai on December 5. Loaded on the train was the 1 millionth TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) in the city’s rail-sea...
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Shows galore as city gets ready to greet New Year
As Shanghai embraces the dawn’s first blush of the new year, the city doesn’t settle for a single way to welcome the year 2026. Instead, it spreads the celebration across rooftops, riversides, concert halls, malls, parks and neighborhood streets —...
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A YEAR OF GREAT MOMENTS, FEATS
The year 2025 is significant for both Shanghai and China, seeing defining moments and achievements. The city pursued progress across every dimension of urban life while the nation saw a year of strength, resilience and global influence.
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A bereaved father tries to pull teenagers back from suicide
I “’m heading out first.” In the dim glow of his phone screen, the message flashed briefly in a chat group called yuesi (约死), slang for a “suicide pact.” Xu Shihai replied almost instantly: “I’ve had enough of living, too. Could you take me with you?...
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SHANGHAI’S NEW VIEWING POINT RISES IN XINTIANDI
CXCC Summit 58, a multi-dimensional urban sky lounge integrating visual delight, cultural immersion and green philosophy, has opened in the iconic Xintiandi area. Standing 258 meters tall, it’s the area’s highest observation spot.
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Toys‘R’Us, Pop Mart shine bright
SPop Mart “First in Shanghai” is our column documenting the rise of Shanghai’s “debut economy,” a model built on being first, fast, and everywhere at once. What started as a policy initiative has morphed into a citywide phenomenon: part hanghai keeps...
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CULTURAL RICHNESS AND A XUHUI HOME
The past and present of a French family, who moved to Shanghai five years ago, mingle harmoniously at their home tucked away in a historical and leafy neighborhood in Xuhui District, where heritage and serenity coexist.
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The rise of a new generation: Asia at heart of growing billionaire numbers
In 2025, the world’s billionaires crossed another symbolic threshold. Their numbers rose to 2,919 people, while their combined wealth reached a record US$15.8 trillion, according to UBS’s latest Billionaire Ambitions Report. Billionaire numbers rose by...
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Handmade gold nib tradition retained as Hero pens evolve
Liu Genmin hunches over his workbench, left hand pinching a gold pen nib blank, right hand steadying a tiny file. He leans in close, squinting through a magnifying glass, then pushes, scrapes and pulls back to inspect his work — again and again. Fine...
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AI’s US$400b problem: Are chips getting obsolete too fast?
In pursuit of the AI dream, the tech industry this year has plunked down about US$400 billion on specialized chips and data centers, but questions are mounting about the wisdom of such unprecedented levels of investment. At the heart of the doubts:...
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FESTIVAL LENDS AURA OF POETRY TO CITY
Noted literary critic and verse-maker Xie Mian, who will turn 94 soon, is honored with the Golden Magnolia poetry award as the 10th Shanghai International Poetry Festival adds an enduring new chapter to the city’s poetic ambience.
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Past and present on China’s No. 1 commercial street
is a column on Shanghai’s great commercial arteries. From Nanjing Rd E.’s blend of heritage storefronts and pop-culture malls to Huaihai’s luxe lanes and Hongqiao’s international cultural diversity hubs, we explore how Shanghai’s commercial hubs drive...
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Uygur Meshrep lives on in desert oasis, and through new bearers
In the deserts and river valleys, a Uygur tradition known as Meshrep continues to shape daily life in many parts of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The tradition appears in villages, towns and city neighborhoods across the Tarim...
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Froth and faith: the puzzling future of China’s robotic hype
For 12 years, China has been the world’s biggest market for industrial robots, outpacing Germany and Japan to capture more than 50 percent of the market last year. Robots that can perform simple tasks like cleaning floors, waiting on tables, running a...
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Kühn Keramik
Shanghai has many new flagship stores and concept spaces that combine shopping, lifestyle and immersive experiences. Each space showcases creativity, design, and sensory engagement, from Germany’s Kühn Keramik opening its first store outside Berlin to...
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Qiang people welcome their most important day of the year
Dances, singing, parades and a long-table feast characterize the Qiang New Year, the most significant day of the year for the ethnic group. Qiang communities across Sichuan Province celebrate this occasion with festivities. The festival begins on the...
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SHORT DRAMAS, BIG DREAMS
Around 10 to 20 micro-dramas, each typically lasting 1.5 to 2 minutes, are filmed in China every day, creating a huge demand for actors. This has led to ordinary people dreaming big on these ultra-short episodes.
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GLOBAL APPEAL OF CHINESE CULTURE
The micro-documentary series ‘A New Dawn’ is in its third season, focusing on the overseas promotion of Chinese culture, with cases such as the Yunnan Jingmai Mountain tea culture and Jingdezhen artisan residency.
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Shanghai residents say goodbye to carrying chamber pots finally
Luo Qian still clearly remembers that when as a child, she spilled a full chamber pot across her family’s carpet. “I was carrying it to the attic, but my hand slipped, and everything poured out,” she recalled. “The smell lingered for days. We scrubbed...
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International outdoor brands leave their footprint in city
The city’s appetite for movement isn’t slowing. As Shanghai leans further into its fitness-and-freshair era, the storefronts tell the story: international outdoor and sports brands keep arriving, staking claims from the Bund to the backstreets. Some...
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US$83.49B PURCHASE DEALS AS CIIE CLOSES
The 8th China International Import Expo concluded with tentative deals worth US$83.49 billion, up 4.4 percent from the previous year. The six-day event attracted 922,000 visitors, surging 8.2 percent year on year; both setting a new record.
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Tai chi master sees beyond kung fu in coaching expats
Iran into Wang Kaiyuan early on September 10 in Shanghai’s People’s Park, where he was instructing dozens of Westerners in tai chi in fluent English. This was quite striking, as although tai chi practitioners were present in the park, they were...
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Shanghai-Nanjing industrial corridor anchored by Putuo
The six-day CIIE, kicking off on November 5, is not only a global platform for trade and investment but also a catalyst for deepening innovation and industrial collaboration between Shanghai and major cities along the corridor, including Nanjing, Wuxi,...
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Investor enthusiasm for China AI stocks continues unabated
The robust performance of Chinese stocks this year has been largely driven by the strong performance of companies related to work in artificial intelligence. There may be a lot of discussion globally about whether there is an AI bubble about to burst,...
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Global rhythms, Shanghai stage
What happens when an Indian classical musician, trained in the intricate language of centuriesold ragas, joins forces with Chinese and international artists and brings the shimmering sound of the sitar into the mix? The result is neither classical nor...
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NEW OPENINGS REDEFINE LIFESTYLE LANDSCAPE
First in Shanghai is our column documenting the rise of Shanghai’s “debut economy,” a model built on being first, fast, and everywhere at once. What started as a policy initiative has morphed into a citywide phenomenon: part economic strategy, part...
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Are gasoline cars dinosaurs? Not for Chinese consumers
Electric cars have dominated talk in the Chinese auto sector for a long time, but combustion-engine vehicles haven’t yet become the industrial dinosaurs many have predicted. Though China is the world’s biggest producer and market for electric cars,...
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Centuries-old Fujian puppetry kept alive on moving strings
Fujian string and glove puppetry is one of China’s oldest performing arts, dating back more than 1,500 years. From temple fairs in southeast China’s Quanzhou City to classrooms overseas, it continues to blend craftsmanship, music and storytelling. The...
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Never say die: China’s war against aging has begun
The search for the Fountain of Youth that led Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon to discover Florida in 1513 is no longer the stuff of myth. Biotech today is doing research into not only in delaying the aging process, but also reversing it. In a...
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CHINESE REMAKE SENSE OF LUXURY
China’s luxury market is shifting under the feet of European houses that have long dominated Chinese imagination about status and affluence. And domestic brands like Lao Pu, Pop Mart and Songmont now reign supreme.
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GLOBAL VISION FOR FUTURE CHINA STUDIES
World China Studies is entering a new stage marked by openness, innovation and mutual learning as the World Conference on China Studies concluded in Shanghai. Among the conference’s milestones is a recommended bibliography for World China Studies.
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Self-indulgence fuels new China trend in spending
Not every Chinese consumer indulgence is a famous-brand handbag or a new lipstick. Sometimes, self-pampering can be a solo ski trip, a visit to a pet café on a rainy afternoon or a blind-box toy. What were once guilty pleasures are becoming budgeted...
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CHINA STUDIES GETS GLOBAL MAKEOVER
The growing global interest in China studies, or zhongguoxue, has made the discipline increasingly international and diverse. This is reflected in the journeys of a Serbian scholar and a Macedonian researcher. The vision of ‘world China studies’ will...
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IBLAC MEETS TO SHARE VIEWS ON 2030 VISION
This year’s meeting of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai is themed ‘Openness, Innovation and Inclusiveness — Shanghai’s Development Strategy Toward 2030.’
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City community hospitals are fast and cheap
Last year, we put together a pretty handy guide explaining the different levels of hospitals in Shanghai. From city level, district level, and on to community health centers, you get the lay of the land on how Shanghai’s health institutions are...
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30 EXPATS BASK IN CITY HONORS
Shanghai confers honorary citizenship upon two expats — Simon Lichtenberg, CEO of Trayton Group, and Severin Schwan, chairman of Roche Group — and presents the Magnolia Gold Award to 28 expats for their contributions to the city.
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HEALTH PROOF ALLOWS PETS TO TRAVEL ABROAD
As international travel grows, many families want to take their ‘fur kids’ overseas. Shanghai Customs has published a clear set of steps to help pet owners get the Animal Health Certificate for overseas travel.
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WHERE LUXURY DABBLES IN F&B
First in Shanghai is our column documenting the rise of Shanghai’s “debut economy,” a model built on being first, fast, and everywhere at once. What started as a policy initiative has morphed into a citywide phenomenon: part economic strategy, part...
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CITY IN THRALL OF TOURISM FESTIVAL
Featuring over 200 activities, the ‘classic events season’ of the 2025 Shanghai Tourism Festival has kicked off. The centerpiece of the festival, one of China’s largest cultural celebrations, saw the iconic Bund lit up as 25 dazzling floats and 24...
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TIBETAN OPERA: Voices of heritage on the move
Tibetan Opera, known in Tibetan as Lhamo, is one of the oldest surviving forms of traditional Chinese theater. It combines singing, dancing, chanting, acting and storytelling into a single performance that is both ritual and drama. For centuries, it...
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Global productions, artists find a home in Shanghai
I “’m shocked that so many tickets have already sold,” remarked Japanese actress Kanna Hashimoto on the Shanghai debut of “Spirited Away.” The stage production, a live adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved animation classic, lit up Shanghai Culture...
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DISNEY’S SUPERSTARS: DUFFY AND FRIENDS
Among Disney’s many franchises, Duffy and Friends, including Shanghai Disney Resort sensation LinaBell, stand out as a good example of IP development. Each character has been carefully designed, not only in how they look but also in story and...
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Wood and craftsmanship: The soul of Chinese architecture
For thousands of years, Chinese builders have turned to wood not just as a material but as a medium for cultural memory. From the sweeping roofs of imperial palaces to the quiet elegance of neighborhood courtyards, timber frames have carried the weight...
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Massive parade marks 80th anniversary of WWII victory
China held a massive military parade in central Beijing yesterday to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II, pledging the country’s commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and...
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US MISSIONARY AND A CITY UNDER SIEGE
The 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War In 1937, Shanghai became the stage for one of the fiercest urban battles in history and an American missionary...
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China’s bubble tea boom brews rural growth, overseas presence
Although the traditional spring harvest season is now over, in the humming workshop of a tea company in the city of Shengzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, the aroma of fresh leaves still lingers in the air while workers operate machines in churning...
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GLOBAL SCRIBES REVEAL CHINESE WAR HEROISM
Beginning from tomorrow, ‘Dispatches from the East’ will air on multiple platforms, including iSMG and DocuLife. The compelling five-part documentary series sheds new light on the immense contributions of the Chinese people during the World...
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Fresh local finds from Dutch homeware to flavored eats
SPip Studio First in Shanghai is our column documenting the rise of Shanghai’s “debut economy,” a model built on being first, fast, and everywhere at once. What started as a policy initiative has morphed into a citywide phenomenon: part hanghai’s...
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When ink becomes dance: the living art of Chinese calligraphy
Few traditions capture the spirit of Chinese culture as vividly as calligraphy. More than handwriting, it is often described as artful writing, where each stroke carries rhythm, emotion and philosophy. In China, calligraphy is revered as “wordless...
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A Canadian expat’s destiny of linguistic namesakes in China
Canadian-born businessman David Nagy has a knack for raising eyebrows with his linguistic twist when introducing himself. “When I meet someone new, I often say I’m from China,” he told Shanghai Daily. “They usually laugh and say, ‘No way!’ Then I pull...
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City’s last newsagent counts its final days in new digital era
Newspapers and magazines have become more collectible items than news sources, but even that trend isn’t enough to save Shanghai’s last post office-owned newsagent from closing at the end of year. Jiang Jun, 65, who operates a store on Wusong Road in...
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Thousand-year-old Nanyin reaches global audiences
Dubbed “a living fossil in Chinese musical history,” Nanyin is one of China’s oldest surviving music styles. Its history stretches back more than 1,000 years. It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity...
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Beyond slogans, China’s blueprint for green growth
China’s carbon dioxide emissions in the first quarter of 2025 fell 1.6 percent from a year earlier even as the nation’s 5 percent economic growth placed heavier demands on power supply. It is the first time that emissions reduction has occurred during...
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WATERTOWNS GET ON TRACK FOR TOURISTS
The Jiangsu section of the 132-kilometer Watertown Tourism Line, part of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Jiaxing Intercity Railway, has started construction to string a cluster of Jiangnan watertowns such as Tongli and Zhenze.
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Humanoid robots, city’s key role bedazzle AI conference
Robots were the stars at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference that ended in Shanghai on Monday, with over 150 models populating exhibition floors amid high expectations that this is only the start of a lucrative industry. While Hangzhou-based...
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China’s economy in a nutshell with a 10-yuan football ticket
No rigged games, only blood feuds.” In China, an amateur football league, featuring everyone from teachers and waiters to couriers, IT guys and even high schoolers, is blowing past Trump, trade wars and Labubu on domestic trending lists. Tickets are...
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TRADITIONAL HOME, MODERN LIVING
Finding a home with history and a community soul was the goal for an expat who relocated to Shanghai last year. Tucked away in the vibrant, ever-evolving streets of downtown Shanghai, his apartment offers more than just a place to live.
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It’s survival of the fittest in China’s brutal EV market
Shanghai-based Hozon Auto, which manufactures electric vehicles under the Neta brand, was hailed as a startup star in the industry just three years ago, outselling rivals like Nio and XPeng. Now it is under bankruptcy reorganization and hoping to find...
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CITY’S THRIVING ART DISTRICTS
Shanghai has got not one, but four thriving art districts — the Bund glitz, West Bund ambition, downtown grit and Suzhou Creek cool — each with a scene deep enough to be cause of envy.
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ONLINE CONTENT CREATION CENTERS
Shanghai opens two new centers to empower global online content creators after announcing nine policies to spur high-quality content creation. This is a major step in the city’s push to boost its digital media industry and soft power.
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Mid-Lake Pavilion reopens after a two-year renovation
One of Shanghai’s oldest teahouses, the Mid-Lake Pavilion, reopened last week after nearly two years of renovation. The historic structure sits in the middle of a pond beside the iconic Zigzag Bridge in Yuyuan Garden, one of the city’s most-visited...
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Lego chief’s vision for brand in China: Bold, creative and built for acceleration
A“very fast car, and maybe even a mechanism that lets it fly.” That’s how Lego Group President and CEO Niels B. Christiansen imagines the brand’s future in China — bold, creative and built for acceleration. The vision feels right at home in Shanghai,...
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CITY’S OUTDOOR SUMMER SPLASH
Shanghai, which had a modest nine outdoor swimming pools last summer, now boasts a cool 23. They range from best value venues, both in Puxi and Pudong, to water parks, bathhouses and also weekend destinations.
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METRO RIDE WITH GLOBAL CARDS
FOREIGN visitors in Shanghai can now use international bank cards and China’s digital currency “hard wallet” on all Metro rides. With China’s visa-free travel policy for several nations boosting tourism, Shanghai is making efforts to boost its economy...
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GLOBAL TIDES, LOCAL VIBES
Shanghai Museum East Branch In terms of cultural relic preservation, Shanghai spares no effort. The Shanghai Museum East Branch, with its state-of-the-art facilities, provides a grand stage for displaying a vast collection of historical artifacts,...
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Uygur Muqam: Preserving the musical soul of Xinjiang
The 87-year-old artist Aisaiti Mohetaer taps a dap drum as his students play rawap lutes under poplar trees in Hami, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The music builds as villagers clap, and some begin to dance. For Mohetaer, a...
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Elderly in older communities get help to stay in their homes
Zhao Jinxia, 81, steps onto a small metal platform in a stairwell in his old apartment block. He lowers a barrier, grips the handrail, presses a button and glides downward. It takes three stair lifts and three minutes to reach the ground floor. Zhao...
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Chinese biotech firms seek deep-pocket global partners
When Germany’s BioNTech struck an eye-popping US$11 billion licensing deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb earlier this month, few headlines mentioned where the drug originally came from. The cancer therapy, known as BNT327, wasn’t born in a Mainz lab or a...
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