https://www.scmp.com/rss/240588/feed Lijia Zhang is a rocket-factory worker turned social commentator, and the author of a novel, Lotus. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang In recent years, the Brics grouping has attracted attention as it adds members and positions itself as the voice of the Global South. At a Brics forum held in Beijing last month, officials discussed expanding trade within the grouping. Such initiatives reflect both an impulse to reduce exposure to external shocks linked to the US dollar and a long-term ambition to reshape global finance. These gatherings are as much about signalling intent as delivering substance. Brics wants to be seen as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3353220/what-brics-lacks-unity-it-makes-flexibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3353220/what-brics-lacks-unity-it-makes-flexibility?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang While enjoying a foot massage in Buenos Aires’ Chinatown, I chatted with my masseuse, a Fujianese woman in her late 50s surnamed Wang. Her life, it seemed to me, mirrored that of many recent Chinese immigrants to Argentina. She eats exclusively Chinese food, her friends are fellow Chinese and she still speaks mostly Chinese. While it is not unusual for migrants anywhere to gravitate towards their own community, the tendency appears particularly strong among the Chinese. China’s presence in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348870/chinese-overseas-need-not-keep-ourselves-i-certainly-dont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348870/chinese-overseas-need-not-keep-ourselves-i-certainly-dont?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:30:12 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang My grandmother kept her banknotes under the mattress. Even after savings accounts became common and the money my siblings and I gave her began to accumulate, she still preferred to hide cash away at home. She loved saving and hated spending. I thought of her when China’s leaders again emphasised the need to boost domestic consumption at this year’s “two sessions” meetings. With exports facing geopolitical headwinds and the property sector struggling, policymakers hope households will become a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346765/chinas-high-household-savings-reflect-old-values-and-new-anxieties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346765/chinas-high-household-savings-reflect-old-values-and-new-anxieties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang A few weeks ago, while travelling in Buenos Aires, I learned a new word: chino. I already knew its literal meaning – even a poor linguist like me could manage that – but in Argentina the word has taken on a second life. A chino is the neighbourhood mini-market run by Chinese migrants, most of whom are from Fujian or Guangdong province. Known for staying open late, these shops have become a fixture of urban life. One afternoon, as an Argentine friend showed me around his neighbourhood in Palermo,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342817/forging-robust-china-south-america-ties-takes-more-just-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342817/forging-robust-china-south-america-ties-takes-more-just-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang “Rural heating problems in Hebei cannot wait any longer” declared a recent report in Farmers’ Daily. It described a disturbing reality in parts of northern China: elderly villagers who would rather shiver through freezing temperatures than turn on their heaters, because they simply cannot afford the cost. For many urban readers, this may sound implausible. For millions of rural elderly, it is routine. On the surface, the problem appears to be a side effect of China’s well-intentioned... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339618/without-pension-reform-china-leaving-its-rural-elderly-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339618/without-pension-reform-china-leaving-its-rural-elderly-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang During a trip home, I took my daughters to the Nanking massacre memorial hall. It is not an easy place to visit. In shadowy rooms, photographs of victims line the walls. The names of the dead stretch across black stone. In glass cases lie bones unearthed from mass graves. I wanted my children to learn history honestly, to understand what war does to people. I shared stories my grandma had told me: as she fled town, a bomb fell on a nearby street. One neighbour vanished. Only bits of her remained... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang I think about food constantly, not in a passive way, but obsessively. I plan my next meal while still chewing the last bite of a repast. I always carry snacks: dried fruit or roasted nuts, just in case. When I travel abroad, I eagerly sample local cuisines and take cooking classes whenever I can. At home, I scout for new restaurants and often host dinner parties featuring my experimental dishes. Sometimes I wonder how I came to have this fixation. The answer, I suspect, lies in my childhood,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326683/my-food-obsession-has-deep-chinese-roots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3326683/my-food-obsession-has-deep-chinese-roots?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang “Golden brick countries” – that’s how Brics is translated in Chinese, a name that speaks volumes about its founding aspirations. But as the expanded bloc emerged from its Rio de Janeiro summit, it projected something more potent than aspiration. The message was loud and clear: the era of unipolar global dominance is drawing to an end. Brics leaders spoke with growing confidence, condemning “coercive” economic tactics, effectively calling for de-dollarisation and rejecting US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3317935/brics-its-big-leap-talk-shop-institution-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3317935/brics-its-big-leap-talk-shop-institution-power?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping sat alongside his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to watch Moscow’s Victory Day parade wearing the symbolic St George’s ribbon. Before that, the two leaders, who have met more than 40 times, signed over 20 bilateral cooperation agreements and pledged that their countries would be “friends of steel”. There seems ample evidence supporting the oft-touted “no limits” friendship. But a leaked memo, reportedly from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB)... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3314329/china-russia-relations-power-speaks-louder-friendship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3314329/china-russia-relations-power-speaks-louder-friendship?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 01:30:10 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang Once again, I find myself in sun-drenched Morocco, a North African country steeped in history and culture. I’ve come to bask in the warmth, balancing my days between writing and wandering – one of the joys of being able to work from anywhere. At the moment, I am perched on the roof terrace of a co-living hostel, sipping mint tea. Below, the cheerful voices of Berber children playing football echo through narrow streets, while the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, floats in the air. In the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3293444/once-chinese-frog-well-im-now-living-my-travel-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3293444/once-chinese-frog-well-im-now-living-my-travel-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 May 2025 01:30:09 +0000 China recently issued its first sovereign green bonds on the London Stock Exchange, a landmark moment that projected Beijing as a leader in sustainable finance. The move was welcomed: it promised to channel international capital into China’s vast green economy and could deepen climate cooperation with Britain and the European Union. But China also continues to approve new coal power plants and last year launched construction on 94.5 gigawatts of capacity, the most since 2015. Therein lies a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3307482/china-must-resist-greenwashing-its-dirty-coal-habit-green-bonds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3307482/china-must-resist-greenwashing-its-dirty-coal-habit-green-bonds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 01:30:08 +0000 When it comes to women’s changing roles in society, China has much to be proud of. The stories of my family – my grandmother, a one-time prostitute; my mother, a lifelong factory worker; and myself, a writer – bear witness to Chinese women’s progress. Women of my grandmother’s generation endured harsh lives, but she suffered more than most. Born in Zhenjiang, an ancient city on the bank of the Yangtze River, she lost her parents to famine as a child and was taken in by her aunt, basically as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3301243/how-far-chinese-women-have-come-my-grandmothers-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3301243/how-far-chinese-women-have-come-my-grandmothers-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2025 01:30:07 +0000 Actress Zhao Lusi embodies youth and beauty, her dazzling smile and smooth complexion giving no hint of life’s hardships. Yet, last month Zhao shared a deeply personal revelation on social media: she has been battling mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. In her heartfelt post, she recounted how she began experiencing symptoms several years ago but initially ignored them, fearing she would disappoint her family, friends and fans. The relentless demands of her career took a toll... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3297186/zhao-lusi-shines-needed-light-chinas-treatment-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3297186/zhao-lusi-shines-needed-light-chinas-treatment-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2025 01:30:08 +0000 On December 4, renowned Taiwanese romantic novelist Chiung Yao ended her life in a manner as poignant as her prose that captivated millions. In her suicide note, the 86-year-old who was beloved across mainland China wrote: “Do not cry, do not be sad, do not feel sorry for me. I have already ‘flitted away’.” She used the term “pian ran”, a poetic phrase often found in her novels, to evoke a sense of ease and liberation. Chiung Yao explained her decision to take control of what she called the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3290166/novelist-chiung-yaos-death-rekindles-discussion-euthanasia-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3290166/novelist-chiung-yaos-death-rekindles-discussion-euthanasia-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2024 01:30:09 +0000 Language is the soul of cultural expression. For a multilingual writer, the most fundamental decision is about which language to write in. Many non-native speakers of English are drawn to it for its practical advantages and artistic possibilities. As a native Chinese writing in English, I remain fascinated by this matter, for it touches the very essence of culture and identity. I was born and raised on the banks of the Yangtze River and my tongue bathed in the cadences of Nanjing dialect; I... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3286682/what-i-gained-and-lost-native-chinese-writing-english?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3286682/what-i-gained-and-lost-native-chinese-writing-english?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Nov 2024 01:30:15 +0000 Last month, a startling incident in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, captured nationwide attention. Someone hurled human waste from a high-rise residential building, splattering it onto a ground-floor window. In a bid to force the culprit to come forward, estate management, in collaboration with local police, ordered DNA tests for all residents of the building. This sordid story quickly spread across social media, once again igniting debate about the decline of public civility and moral standards in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3281481/can-china-find-way-out-its-moral-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3281481/can-china-find-way-out-its-moral-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2024 01:30:09 +0000 The curtain has just fallen on the Paralympic Games in Paris, a celebration of social inclusion where China once again led the world in medals. Among the many inspiring athletes, 19-year-old swimmer Jiang Yuyan – known affectionately as the “flying fish” – stood out, winning seven gold medals. I hope Jiang’s triumphs will serve as a beacon of hope, illuminating the path for others to chase their dreams and embrace the transformative power of sports. Yet, for those who do step onto this path, a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3278041/how-chinese-disabilities-are-inspiring-more-inclusive-country?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3278041/how-chinese-disabilities-are-inspiring-more-inclusive-country?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 21:30:07 +0000 After I turned 20, Nai, my maternal grandma, started to read me the matrimonial advertisements in our local newspapers. One typical ad would go: “So-and-so, male, 27-year-old teacher, 1.73m, university degree with a monthly income of almost 1,000 yuan, looking for an attractive girl, medium height, between 21 and 25.” For her, my single status was a rash, getting itchier with every year as she fretted that I would miss the marriage boat. My mother, subtler, would urge me to try harder in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273449/put-ring-it-chinese-women-dont-need-marriage-any-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273449/put-ring-it-chinese-women-dont-need-marriage-any-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Aug 2024 01:15:09 +0000 Last October, I had the honour and pleasure of participating in the Frankfurt Book Fair, since my memoir, “Socialism Is Great!”: A Worker’s Memoir of the New China, had just come out in Germany. As I wandered from one Chinese publisher’s exhibition stand to another, images of President Xi Jinping’s smiling face followed me. Quite a few publishers were promoting his political thoughts, with books such as Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. Almost exactly 11 years ago, during his first year of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3270095/tell-chinas-story-well-its-writers-must-be-free-enough-do-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3270095/tell-chinas-story-well-its-writers-must-be-free-enough-do-so?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2024 01:30:08 +0000 In 2019, a 14-year-old boy was attacked by 15 students in a school washroom. He struck back with a knife and injured three. He had already been harassed earlier the same day. Last month, a landmark ruling by China’s Supreme People’s Court determined that the boy, surnamed Jiang, had acted in self-defence and was therefore not criminally liable for the injuries. Many netizens applauded the court’s stance on protecting victims. Others worried that the ruling might encourage violence in schools. At... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3265576/china-needs-better-protect-victims-school-bullying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3265576/china-needs-better-protect-victims-school-bullying?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Facial recognition is such a big part of mass surveillance in China that some see it as evidence of a surveillance state. Yet there have been signs of pushback against overuse of the technology. In April, amid industry concern about attracting foreign tourists, the Shanghai authorities issued a ban on mandatory face scanning at hotel check-in. Across China, many hotels have also stopped requiring guests who present valid identification documents to have their faces scanned. In March, Dai Bin,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261578/not-good-look-china-should-turn-away-too-much-facial-recognition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261578/not-good-look-china-should-turn-away-too-much-facial-recognition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 12:30:16 +0000 Zhong Shanshan, China’s bottled water king, remains the richest man in China, according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2024. But few people in China, it seems, are in the mood for congratulations. The rich list came out last month, right after Zhong, the founder of Nongfu Spring, found himself caught in the eye of an internet storm. A large number of nationalist internet users in China had attacked him, accusing his firm of, among other things, having pictures of Japanese religious buildings on... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3257473/why-nongfu-springs-online-attackers-are-no-chinese-patriots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3257473/why-nongfu-springs-online-attackers-are-no-chinese-patriots?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2024 01:30:22 +0000 Last month, Panzhihua, a city in western China’s Sichuan province, announced this would be its “breakthrough” year in establishing itself as a common prosperity pilot zone. It is following the example of Zhejiang province in the east, another such pilot zone which was set up in 2021. The idea is to push for a high-quality development that focuses on closing the economic gap between regions, between urban and rural areas, and in income. This is encouraging news, but will such efforts work? Will... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253341/why-fixing-inequality-central-chinas-common-prosperity-goal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253341/why-fixing-inequality-central-chinas-common-prosperity-goal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:30:11 +0000 This month, a short video attracted a huge amount of attention on China’s social media. In the clip, a female executive was seen sacking a male employee. When he protested that she had violated the country’s labour law, she spoke rudely to him, admitting: “I’ve violated the law – so what?” He could go ahead and sue her, she said, but he would never get anywhere because she “knew people” in labour arbitration. The video has caused a public outcry and widespread condemnation. There is heated... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3249531/so-sue-me-why-china-not-doing-more-protect-workers-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3249531/so-sue-me-why-china-not-doing-more-protect-workers-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jan 2024 01:30:14 +0000 December 13 will be the 86th anniversary of the rape of Nanking. After all these years, the relationship between China and Japan is still trapped in the long shadow of history. On each side, public opinion of the other is close to rock bottom. Amid strained relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in San Francisco last month, their first face-to-face meeting in a year, to pursue mutually beneficial ties. It was a move in the right direction. When both... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3244109/why-china-should-move-beyond-wartime-past-and-forge-closer-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3244109/why-china-should-move-beyond-wartime-past-and-forge-closer-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Dec 2023 21:30:21 +0000 On Chinese social media, there are many posts discussing China’s rules on marriage and divorce. In the past three years, Beijing has introduced a flurry of amendments and moved towards pronatalist policies. Among directives about child custody and matrimonial assets, the authorities now require divorcing couples to undergo mediation meetings, and a divorce can only be granted when both sides agree. The marriage law itself has been integrated into China’s first civil code, a comprehensive legal... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3239780/marriage-and-babies-maybe-china-should-listen-its-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3239780/marriage-and-babies-maybe-china-should-listen-its-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2023 12:30:22 +0000 Sishengzi, or “secretly born child”, is a derogatory term to describe children born out of wedlock. For a woman to raise such a child in China used to be as difficult as climbing up the sky. To start with, without a marriage certificate, this child would not be able to get registered, which meant they could not go to a state school, take a flight or get vaccinated. However, there are signs that suggest the Chinese government has begun to loosen control to a certain degree. In recent years,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237576/how-fix-chinas-birth-rate-treat-single-mothers-same-married-ones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237576/how-fix-chinas-birth-rate-treat-single-mothers-same-married-ones?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Oct 2023 21:30:10 +0000 When I read about the draft legal amendment to ban clothing and symbols that are “detrimental to the spirit” of the nation or “hurt the feelings” of the Chinese people, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Part of the five-year legislative plan released by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, the proposed amendment to the Public Security Administration Punishments Law could see offenders detained for up to 15 days and fined up to 5,000 yuan... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234149/china-banning-clothes-hurt-national-feelings-would-be-stitch-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234149/china-banning-clothes-hurt-national-feelings-would-be-stitch-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:00:14 +0000 A star-studded Chinese TV drama delving into workplace sexual harassment titled Imperfect Victim recently ended but the debate it triggered rages on. The show, which ran to 29 45-minute episodes, centres on a rape case: beautiful, young personal assistant Zhao Xun accuses her powerful and handsome boss, Cheng Gong, the company president, of raping her. But the case is complex, and so are the characters involved. Within three months, Cheng, a married man, promotes Zhao from a trainee to the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3230657/rape-victims-imperfect-or-not-are-not-blame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3230657/rape-victims-imperfect-or-not-are-not-blame?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Aug 2023 22:15:10 +0000 As a child, a dark tunnel at the entrance of our village in Nanjing frightened us children. Rumours even suggested it was haunted. The tunnel was actually an air defence shelter. Constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they were all over Chinese cities in case the United States or the Soviet Union, the two largest powers in the world, attacked us. The Cold War has long since been buried in the dust of history, but it is not unthinkable that we could be heading into a new cold war and that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3227294/us-china-relations-poisoned-public-opinion-driving-vicious-cycle-towards-new-cold-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3227294/us-china-relations-poisoned-public-opinion-driving-vicious-cycle-towards-new-cold-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jul 2023 16:30:17 +0000 The character of Kong Yiji, a pathetic scholar who fails the imperial examination and struggles to make a living, appeared in a story by literary great Lu Xun first published in 1919. A century on, the character is being dusted off and rediscovered in China by educated, unemployed young people. China is experiencing a youth unemployment crisis. According to government data, the urban jobless rate in April stood at 5.2 per cent while the rate for 16- to 24-year-olds reached a record 20.4 per... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221506/chinas-jobless-youth-liken-themselves-kong-yiji-beijings-tone-deaf-response-not-helping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221506/chinas-jobless-youth-liken-themselves-kong-yiji-beijings-tone-deaf-response-not-helping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 May 2023 22:15:08 +0000 Like millions of Chinese, I have become obsessed with the case of Lao Rongzhi, who has been called China’s most notorious female killer. Together with Fa Ziying, a gangster, she was accused of kidnapping, robbery and murder in the late 1990s. The duo were allegedly behind the death of seven people, including a three-year-old girl. Fa was arrested and executed in 1999 while Lao fled and lived under fake identities for 20 years before being caught. In 2021, she received a death sentence from the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3210832/lawyer-chinese-woman-accused-being-serial-killer-deserves-respect-not-accusations-immorality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3210832/lawyer-chinese-woman-accused-being-serial-killer-deserves-respect-not-accusations-immorality?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:00:17 +0000 Most likely, 2021 will go down in history as the year China last saw population growth. Only 9.56 million people were born on the mainland last year while 10.41 million people died, China’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced. This demographic shift has happened much sooner than predicted. To encourage more births, China first dropped its notorious one-child policy in 2016, but it didn’t work. In 2021, the authorities allowed couples to have up to three children, but I doubt this... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207963/china-must-solve-its-population-crisis-not-government-diktat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207963/china-must-solve-its-population-crisis-not-government-diktat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jan 2023 19:30:09 +0000 Bao Tong, a liberal-minded intellectual and a top adviser to former premier Zhao Ziyang, recently died, days after his 90th birthday. As I read through his obituaries, I realise with great sadness that it is hard to imagine today’s public intellectuals playing a similar role to Bao’s in the 1980s. The public intellectual in China has had a roller-coaster ride. In 2004, the influential Guangzhou-based publication Southern People Weekly published a “Top 50 Public Intellectuals” list. It included... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199681/shrinking-role-chinas-public-intellectuals-will-hold-back-countrys-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199681/shrinking-role-chinas-public-intellectuals-will-hold-back-countrys-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2022 19:30:12 +0000 Has China’s handling of Covid-19 increased the government’s popularity or decreased it? I find the question fascinating and confusing. When the authorities first placed Wuhan under lockdown in their effort to contain the outbreak of the virus, people in the West watched the stringent measures with a mixture of amazement and disgust. In China, however, the pandemic has actually boosted the government’s popularity, or at least that was the case until recently. Cary Wu, an assistant professor of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197326/how-will-chinas-zero-covid-policy-affect-public-support-government-its-complicated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197326/how-will-chinas-zero-covid-policy-affect-public-support-government-its-complicated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 22:45:08 +0000 Old Granny Huang, well into her 70s, hated her empty house, which she described as a “tomb”. Perched halfway up a hill, it once housed seven; now only she and her bedridden husband live there. One daughter got married and moved to another village and her other four children migrated to the city. The hunchbacked woman liked to park herself by her front door, eager for a chat with the occasional passers-by. I had met her a few years ago when I stayed in Jidao, a village in southwest China’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3193390/chinas-rapidly-ageing-society-elderly-rural-residents-must-not-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3193390/chinas-rapidly-ageing-society-elderly-rural-residents-must-not-be?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Sep 2022 22:45:11 +0000 Citizenship has become a sensitive topic in China. Every so often, you’ll see lists in the Chinese media – of film stars who hold foreign passports, or billionaires who made money in China but now hold foreign passports. On the Chinese internet, some of these individuals get labelled as unpatriotic, or worse. One of netizens’ latest targets is Harvard physics professor Xi Yin, a China-born prodigy who has been quoted as saying he has no plans to return to his native country at present. A US... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3188535/reverse-its-brain-drain-china-should-be-more-flexible-dual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3188535/reverse-its-brain-drain-china-should-be-more-flexible-dual?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Aug 2022 19:30:14 +0000 Back in 2012, novelist Mo Yan became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Almost a decade later, Sima Nan, a television pundit, commentator and vlogger known for his nationalistic, anti-West stance, has proffered a theory about why. In his telling, the award was a Western effort to use the writer to attack the Chinese system and smear the motherland. To make his case, Sima cited a speech in which Mo said: “I have a prejudice. I think literature should never be a tool... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3184342/top-censorship-chinese-writers-now-have-contend-attacks-patriotic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3184342/top-censorship-chinese-writers-now-have-contend-attacks-patriotic?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jul 2022 01:15:21 +0000 China and Russia’s relationship can be summarised by the phrase “it’s complicated”. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and led to widespread condemnation. China’s failure to join the condemnation and its Russia-leaning “neutrality” have put the Sino-Russia relationship in the spotlight. The two are strategic partners, but are there really “no limits” to their cooperation? For many Chinese of my generation, the Soviet Union featured prominently in our... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3179846/standing-uneasy-ally-russia-over-ukraine-not-chinas-long-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3179846/standing-uneasy-ally-russia-over-ukraine-not-chinas-long-term?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jun 2022 19:30:23 +0000 In Morocco recently, I discussed with a tour guide Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “We African countries are not strong enough to stand up to Putin,” he said ruefully. “Why hasn’t China condemned the invasion?” “What do you think?” I asked. He replied that perhaps China cared only about ideology or wanted to benefit from the chaos. In the eyes of this Moroccan, China’s image has dimmed. Dr Maria Repnikova of Georgia State University, an expert on China’s soft power, said... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173272/how-ukraine-crisis-hurting-chinas-soft-power-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173272/how-ukraine-crisis-hurting-chinas-soft-power-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Apr 2022 05:30:18 +0000 As China geared up to host the Winter Olympics, a viral video of a woman chained to a shabby hut in a village in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, shocked and enraged the nation. Local authorities initially denied any claims of abuse, but, under increasing pressure, they finally admitted the mother of eight was a victim of trafficking. It is believed that the woman was taken from Yunnan to Xuzhou by a fellow villager surnamed Sang and her husband. Both of them, plus the woman’s “husband”, are now under... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3167950/china-must-act-end-trafficking-and-sale-women-public-outrage-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3167950/china-must-act-end-trafficking-and-sale-women-public-outrage-not?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Feb 2022 22:45:20 +0000 On a gentle night in September 1993, right in front of Tiananmen Square, I witnessed one of the biggest premature celebrations in history. When the International Olympic Committee started to thank the bidders for the right to host the 2000 Summer Olympics, the name “Beijing” was uttered through a loud speaker. The enthusiastic crowds who gathered there, so confident of Beijing’s victory, gave wild cheers. Fountains went off briefly until the authorities realised that Sydney had actually been... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3163282/why-china-deserves-host-2022-winter-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3163282/why-china-deserves-host-2022-winter-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jan 2022 17:30:24 +0000 The cartoon says it all: a man in a suit writing a law book on women’s rights. The illustration was featured in a recent opinion piece in the Global Times, a tabloid linked to the Chinese government, on the draft amendment of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women. A few days earlier, the proposed changes had been submitted to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the country’s top lawmaking body, for deliberation. Aimed at better safeguarding women’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161231/china-cannot-achieve-gender-equality-while-excluding-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161231/china-cannot-achieve-gender-equality-while-excluding-women?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Dec 2021 01:15:17 +0000 Earlier this month, the news of Tang Lu’s death sentence brought with it loud cheering in China. Netizens expressed views such as, “It brought universal joy to the people!” and “Even death would not be sufficient punishment for him.” Last autumn, Tang set fire to his ex-wife, Lamu, a Tibetan vlogger with nearly a million followers, as she was live-streaming. She later died in hospital from severe burns. As a feminist, I condemn Tang’s brutal act, but his death sentence did not bring me any joy.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3153310/why-its-time-china-revive-debate-over-death-penalty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3153310/why-its-time-china-revive-debate-over-death-penalty?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Oct 2021 19:30:14 +0000 Zhou Xiaoxuan, the face of China’s #MeToo movement, has just lost her landmark case. A Beijing court ruled that she had “tendered insufficient evidence” against a star presenter. Zhou, better known by her online nickname Xuanzi, first alleged in 2018 that Zhu Jun had forcibly kissed and groped her in a dressing room four years earlier, when she worked as an intern at China Central Television. Her action helped spur the #MeToo movement in China and led many other women to speak out about their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3149538/chinas-legal-system-must-change-protect-sexual-harassment-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3149538/chinas-legal-system-must-change-protect-sexual-harassment-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:15:21 +0000 The Chinese women’s football team, nicknamed the “Steel Roses”, was eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics after a disastrous 8-2 defeat against the Netherlands. Under immense pressure, head coach Jia Xiuquan resigned. Perhaps he could have chosen different tactics or made a better team selection, but he should not take all the blame. The team performed miserably. In the three games they played, they conceded a record 17 goals. Instead of pointing fingers at the coach or the players, it is time to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3144329/how-chinas-steel-roses-can-return-olympic-soccer-glory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3144329/how-chinas-steel-roses-can-return-olympic-soccer-glory?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 01:15:10 +0000 In a speech marking 100 years of the Communist Party on July 1, President Xi Jinping warned that hostile foreign powers would “have their heads cracked and bleeding”. The threatening words were ostensibly aimed at the United States and its allies, but also very much intended for the ears of the domestic audience. For many Chinese, Xi’s stern tone was a sign of China’s confidence, strength and resolve. But I doubt it went down well with people beyond China’s borders. And it certainly didn’t help... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3139964/china-gentle-giant-would-win-more-hearts-wolf-warrior-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3139964/china-gentle-giant-would-win-more-hearts-wolf-warrior-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:30:13 +0000 The sky was not alight with fireworks when China announced last week that it would allow all married couples to have three children. Instead, the government’s latest attempt to reverse the trend of declining fertility was met with cynicism and indignation. “Where could we get the money to raise three children?” was a common response. Back in 2016, when the authorities ended the decades-long one-child-policy to allow couples to have two children, they expected many Chinese to bite. But they... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3136426/chinas-three-child-policy-how-get-women-board?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3136426/chinas-three-child-policy-how-get-women-board?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jun 2021 19:30:08 +0000 Is the idea of simply not wanting to have any relationship with men extremism? In most parts of the world, the answer should be “no”, but apparently not in China. In April, Douban, a Chinese social media platform favoured by liberal internet users, shut down several feminist groups that were associated with a brand of feminism known as “6B4T”. Originating in South Korea around 2019, adherents wish to exclude men from their lives and reject the institution of marriage, which they regard as the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3133318/censoring-feminist-discussions-will-not-solve-chinas-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3133318/censoring-feminist-discussions-will-not-solve-chinas-population?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 May 2021 00:30:09 +0000 “Women shine at China’s ‘two sessions’,” said a glowing Xinhua headline earlier this month. The article went on to note: “In the 13th National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, there are 742 female deputies and 440 female members respectively, marking a historic high for female representation.” However, women still account for less than a quarter of all NPC and CPPCC members. As China inches towards greater female... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125775/chinas-political-gender-gap-remains-huge-so-much-women-holding-half?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125775/chinas-political-gender-gap-remains-huge-so-much-women-holding-half?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 01:15:12 +0000