Meet Jia Ling, the woman who shattered box office records
With the movie "Hi, Mom," Jia Ling instantly became China’s most beloved female director. But her success came neither overnight nor by accident.
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Zhao Benshan and the fine line between entertainment, business, and politics in China
Zhao Benshan became a comedy legend through Spring Festival Gala skits in which he played rural characters who satirized contemporary society. But with money and fame came scrutiny — the political kind.
The anti-intellectual who tested into college as a ‘blank exam hero’
As China’s national college entrance examinations begin today, we look back to 1973, four years prior to the restoration of the gaokao, when one student became a national hero for a most unconventional answer.
The bestselling author who encouraged children to be themselves
Zheng Yuanjie was expelled from school in fourth grade. Ever since, he has believed the Chinese education system encourages conformity rather than free-thinking, and has strived — in his beloved children's stories — to change that.
‘Zhu was first’: The rise and fall in Chinese lore of commander-in-chief Zhu De
In the early days of the Chinese Communist Party, when it was struggling for survival, Zhu De marched alongside Mao Zedong. The two of them were close enough that they were often referred to as “Zhu Mao” in the countryside.
Li Ning: China’s ‘Prince of Gymnastics’ turned sportswear titan
Li Ning helped usher Chinese sports onto the world stage with his performance at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. But what he's done in his second career — steering a sportswear empire — has arguably been as impactful.
China’s gay emperor known for his ‘cut sleeve’
Ai of Han's reign has been interpreted by historians as opening the door to court corruption and dynastic crisis. But he is remembered today mostly for a tale of passion and love.
Lin Huiyin fought to preserve Old Beijing, and much more
Lin Huiyin — architect, poet, preservationist, lover — was one of modern China’s most remarkable women. She is sometimes overshadowed by her husband Liang Sicheng, the “father of modern Chinese architecture,” but her own work cannot be denied.
Ancient beauty Wang Zhaojun’s shifting significance
Wang Zhaojun is one of the four beauties of ancient China, a woman who prevented bloodshed by being a "peace bride." But she suffered during her lifetime, and her story has never been her own — even as she became a muse for poets and writers throughout the centuries.
An artist and her gun in 1989: Xiao Lu’s accidental revolt
Four months before June 4, 1989, an unknown artist triggered the state by pulling a trigger. Critics and journalists jumped on the story for its political and social implications, but lost in the shuffle was the artist herself and the real reason — rooted in personal trauma — for her incendiary performance.