A closer look at language, places and everyday life in China.
UNESCO names the dongxiao, a bamboo flute, and a pipa played horizontally, with a crooked neck, among Nanyin’s distinctive instruments. Knowing those…
Read the storyOne nineteenth-century Chinese chessboard at the Met is made of lacquered wood. Games have material histories too.
Read the storyA girl, a secret fish and a lost golden shoe: an original retelling of the Chinese tale recorded by Duan Chengshi in the ninth century.
Read the storyQuanzhou’s food story is tied to centuries of maritime exchange.
Read the storyArchaeological finds near Wuxi point to music long before a modern concert hall existed.
Read the storyA short label can tell you what an object is and still leave its journey unexplained.
Read the storyIn xiangqi, a river changes what pieces can do.
Read the storyBlue-and-white porcelain became famous in China while drawing on and inspiring wider exchanges.
Read the storyJoseph Needham's famous project was built with collaborators, not one heroic discoverer.
Read the storyChinese students in Britain did more than collect qualifications; some also explained two countries to each other.
Read the storyAn identified inscription from Anyang records a paired divination about victory, giving a specific glimpse of late Shang writing.
Read the storyYungang’s cave layouts, giant figures and carved details show how Buddhist art developed in a particular Northern Wei setting.
Read the storyThere’s more to read.
A story you haven’t marked as read yet, chosen just for a little change of pace.
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