https://www.scmp.com/rss/514309/feed Xinrou Shu is a freelance journalist based in China. She writes the bi-weekly newsletter Peking Quack on Substack, where she delves into China's feminism, digital and youth culture, and technology. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Xinrou Shu Xinrou Shu Sophie Wang Yuan had long wanted to serve dishes from southeast China’s Jiangxi province, whose cuisine is known for its heartiness and heat. So, in 2019, she opened Latang, a name that translates as “a spicy hall/room”. The Shanghai restaurant, full name Latang Xianla Restaurant Jiangxi Cai, went viral as content creators from across China and even Japan swooped in to subject themselves to its now-famous chilli challenge. “Jiangxi food was having a moment,” says Wang. “At Latang, our focus was... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3328790/chinese-bistros-gen-z-cant-stop-posting-about-have-arrived-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3328790/chinese-bistros-gen-z-cant-stop-posting-about-have-arrived-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:15:12 +0000 After waking up at 6.30am, Claudia Ke brewed herself a cup of tea. The grey, drizzly January sky over Burgundy, France, somehow reminded her of winters in Shanghai, where she had lived for six years. It had been five months since she had arrived in the famous French wine region, in August 2023, and she was still adjusting to the laid-back lifestyle. The 35-year-old’s life in China had been defined first by the years she worked for fashion magazine Vogue in Beijing and then Macy’s department... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3267567/running-china-single-women-their-thirties-escaping-study-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3267567/running-china-single-women-their-thirties-escaping-study-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2024 23:15:11 +0000 It was 3.55pm. In her flat in Shanghai, Xu Shihan applied the final touches to her make-up. She then turned on the ring light, fixed her phone on the tripod and took a final look at herself in the mirror. In five minutes, she would start live-streaming on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. “Brothers, welcome to my live stream! Have you guys missed me lately? If you have, type it in comments or on danmu,” the 31-year-old shouted into the camera. Danmu, or bullet screen, is an online form that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3264838/dying-be-famous-chinese-live-streamers-killing-themselves-clicks-and-lure-online-careers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3264838/dying-be-famous-chinese-live-streamers-killing-themselves-clicks-and-lure-online-careers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2024 23:15:09 +0000 “I’m a Pisces, I flirt with and date different guys at once,” 27-year-old Zhang tells me. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about this one particular guy, Wang, who I met last year.” Despite the initial sparks, things did not quite converge – when he treated her like a princess, she saw him as a casual date, then when she wanted something more serious, he withdrew. Thinking of Wang on a cold night in Beijing this February, Zhang cannot ignore the butterflies in her stomach, going over what had – or... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3236118/he-just-not-me-ill-ask-psychic-young-people-china-turn-astrology-apps-amid-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3236118/he-just-not-me-ill-ask-psychic-young-people-china-turn-astrology-apps-amid-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Sep 2023 23:45:17 +0000 The bus announcement jolted 30-year-old Liu Danyang out of her trance, but she had already missed her stop. Getting off at the next one, then taking another bus back, she missed her stop again. As frustrated as she was, she was used to it. This kind of detour is part of her daily routine negotiating the streets of Suzhou, a city to the west of Shanghai. Zoning out again, Liu walks by the door to her apartment building several times before she finally remembers to enter. This is far from a new... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3218712/adhd-china-how-women-condition-are-stigmatised-and-dismissed-and-cant-find-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3218712/adhd-china-how-women-condition-are-stigmatised-and-dismissed-and-cant-find-help?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2023 23:45:09 +0000 It was a chilly April night in 2020 in Orange County, California. The clock read 3.20am and Zang couldn’t sleep, plagued by insomnia since the state issued a stay-at-home order on March 19 amid a coronavirus outbreak. The then-22-year-old had come to the United States from China in 2016 to pursue a bachelor’s degree, and was a month away from graduation. Now, another big decision loomed: return home or, as his parents preferred, stay and earn a graduate degree. In the depths of Covid-19, the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3201835/buying-guaranteed-acceptance-elite-us-universities-risks-and-rewards-chinese-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3201835/buying-guaranteed-acceptance-elite-us-universities-risks-and-rewards-chinese-students?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Dec 2022 23:15:10 +0000