Round Table China

The Gaokao now

08 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Gaokao is here. In 2026, with AI and smart classrooms reshaping education, what has become of this tradition? Forget the scores for a minute. What...

Rise up for World Oceans Day

08 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Take a deep breath. Half the oxygen you just inhaled came from one place, the ocean. But right now, that invisible life support system is sending dist...

Are you in your Odyssey years?

05 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You know that feeling when everyone else seems to have it figured out and you're just wandering? The Odyssey time of life may have you wondering how t...

Rethinking our relationship with our planet

05 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

World Environment Day is no longer just about emissions and tree planting. This year, the UN wants us to reimagine our economies and our relationship ...

Pickleball, Hyrox, and China's new fitness fix

04 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From pickleball to Hyrox, the way China is getting fit is changing. Across the country, 800 million people took part in outdoor sports last year. Reti...

The big power pricing shake-up

04 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, Chinese factories and families saved money by waiting until midnight to use bulk electricity. But as solar power floods the grid, the che...

Digital fingerprints: High-tech security for ancient artifacts

03 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Centuries of art history, billions of dollars, and one problem that may finally have a solution. Fingerprint of Things (FoT) technology now allows res...

Move over for matcha mania!

03 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From lattes and cakes to bottled drinks and soft serve, matcha is everywhere right now, and China makes a huge percentage of the world's supply. Farme...

Are you suffering from vegetable anxiety?

02 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Vegetable anxiety is trending. Young diners feel "anxious" if there isn't enough produce on the plate. That's a strange twist, because getting anyone...

A penny for your AI thoughts?

02 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You remember when the internet just handed everything over for free. Maps, music, random facts at three in the morning. Nobody asked who was really pa...

The Soapbox: mom vs everyone else

01 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A mother wants to protect her child from bullying. So she files a complaint. Then another. Then she goes after a university professor. The problem? No...

The best AI for kids? Maybe none at all

01 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

AI chatbots, storytelling robots, and companion apps are entertaining, comforting, and teaching kids earlier than ever. But China's Ministry of Educat...

The Full Circle: motorcycles, university campuses, and Qiaopi

29 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do motorcycles, letters from overseas, and university campuses have in common? On the surface, nothing. But dig a little deeper, and nothing is t...

Is Gen Z the last generation of smokers?

29 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The UK just passed a radical ban: no tobacco for anyone born after 2008. Meanwhile, Chinese cities like Shenzhen and Hong Kong are using AI and other ...

Is quitting underrated?

28 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Think about something you held onto for too long. A job, a project, a goal that just wasn't working. We all love stories about people who never gave u...

Can AI go underwater?

28 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

AI doesn't just eat data. It devours power, water, and land. So what happens when you run out of all three? China answered by going underwater. Off Sh...

Qiaopi: when letters held families together

27 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How did Chinese migrants send money and messages home before phones or banks existed? They did not click send. Instead, they handed cash and letters t...

Dorm hustle or dorm trouble?

27 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You share a room, you share the space, and you might even share the chores. But what happens when your roommate starts running a business from the top...

Should universities be open to everyone?

26 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tourists wander into lecture halls. Students grumble about lost seats. All because one university in China decided to open its campus to the public. S...

The multi-layered onion of teaching parents tech

26 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There comes a moment when the person who taught you to tie your shoes asks you how to open an app. For many young people, that moment repeats itself. ...

The Soapbox: Anxiety bags

25 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gen Z in the United States has taken up a new self-care hobby. For those who suffer from anxiety, people are packing small comfort bags to help them g...

How technology is empowering China's flood control system

25 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Flood season is hitting harder than ever. This year, China isn't just waiting for disasters to happen. It's seeing them coming. Faster warnings. Smart...

Hotpot just got a rulebook

22 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Hotpot. A dish with dozens of regional forms across China alone. It has gotten so big that entire industries have grown up around the stove. Now we're...

The real Xizang

22 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To some, Xizang is considered sacred, remote, untouched by modernity. A postcard frozen in time. But 75 years ago, peaceful liberation set in motion a...

Are we ready to watch humans again?

21 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Zero celebrities. Zero big budget. Zero marketing push. And somehow, a tiny short drama named 'Enemy' exploded across Chinese social media in days. Wh...

Chinese motorcycles: from factory to podium

21 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Motorcycles in China were once just cheap, utilitarian transport. But today? They represent freedom, adventure, and identity. So what changed? Champio...

The Why: 103-grade gasoline?

20 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Something new appeared at a major motorsport event in the Taklamakan Desert recently. It's a type of gasoline most drivers have never seen before: 103...

Russia-China trade: beyond the headlines

20 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Beijing for a state visit. Trade and education lead the headlines, but what is actually happening on the ground...

Delivery's old problem meets its solution

19 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You order food and it crosses the city with no problem. Then it hits the building entrance and just stops. That's the old problem. But a new handoff s...

Beijing says yes to bikes on trains

19 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On weekends in Beijing, a few subway lines are trying something new: letting cyclists bring their bikes onboard. You ride to the station, take the tra...

Can growth go green?

18 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, industrialization meant a trade-off: growth versus environmental damage. Today, China is exploring a different path—where development a...

China's "most pampered child"

18 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

May 18 is International Museum Day, and this year's theme is "Museums Uniting a Divided World." It reminds us that across time and place, we share uni...

Encore: Fast food's new AI is listening to you

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A major fast food chain is putting artificial intelligence in its employees' ears. Burger King is testing AI-powered headsets that do more than take o...

Encore: China's next phase of E-commerce

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Governments around the world are all trying to answer a key question: How can digital commerce support the real economy — without replacing it? Well...

Encore: Inside China's AI boom: an American expert's view

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Are China and the United States shaping the same AI future, or diverging down different paths? Having worked in both ecosystems, Alex Lamb shares his ...

Encore: From classrooms to kickoffs

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Another "super league" is sweeping China's schools: the Class Super League. Sports contests are getting kids off screens and outdoors — but can a fo...

Round Table presents: "Art Makes Us Better"- A Cross Pacific Musical Collaboration

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We invited young musicians from China and the US to perform "Art Makes Us Better" together. As their melodies met, they shared stories and found a com...

Encore: Singing across borders

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when words aren't enough, yet you still long to connect? For a group of students from Yale University, the answer was simple: sing. Thi...

Encore: Why does a loving boyfriend take ugly photos?

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Have you heard of "boyfriend photography"? We spend so much time teaching our partners about angles and lighting that we actually start to believe we'...

When public life goes live

12 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You didn't press record, but there you are, in someone's livestream, their vlog or their viral clip. No permission asked. No warning given. So when do...

Silicon heartbreak: AI love crisis

12 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two ways to lose a virtual companion without saying goodbye. One, a software update rewrites their personality. Or the company goes bankrupt and pulls...

How fishing reels in China's young generation

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do an office worker, ten thousand livestream viewers, and a smart fishing rod have in common? They are all part of fishing's unexpected comeback ...

Is your unpaid internship worth it?

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Internships were once a golden ticket, but now they are a financial burden. Students work for free while paying rent in expensive cities, where experi...

Encore: Beijing's plan to save the Great Wall

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Great Wall has survived centuries of wind and war. Now it also faces a new kind of challenge, not from nature, but from the millions who come to l...

Encore: Tradition's tricky digital rebirth

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Forget dusty storefronts. China's oldest brands are now crashing livestreams and racking up billions of views, making the "old-timers" cool again. But...

Listening-to-advice marketing

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever left a comment about a product online, thinking, "They'll probably never see this"? Well, turns out, sometimes they do and sometimes the...

Navigating China's new college majors

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If you were heading to college today, what would you study? Computer science? Finance? Engineering? Now imagine having to choose between things like a...

Why does a loving boyfriend take ugly photos?

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Have you heard of "boyfriend photography"? We spend so much time teaching our partners about angles and lighting that we actually start to believe we'...

May Day holiday travel snapshot

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, the May Day holiday gives us a little snapshot — how people travel, how they have fun, and how they spend in vacation mode. In 2026, the...

Generation Global: Navigating a Changing World, Ep. 5

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you don't speak the same language but still want to connect? For a group of students from Yale University, the answer was simple: ...

Your past or your privacy?

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You've just nailed an interview, and the offer is almost in your inbox. Then HR asks to call your former boss, your colleagues, maybe even your gradua...

Generation Global: Navigating a Changing World, Ep. 4

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

May 4th marks Youth Day in China, and to mark the occasion, Round Table's Yushun sat down with Alex Lamb, an AI professor at Tsinghua University. Thei...

The Soapbox: Village fashion show

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fashion shows are easy to picture. The runways of Paris and Milan. The world's most beautiful people in the world's most beautiful clothing. Well, vil...

How AI is rewriting the rules of work

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Have you imagined your career in five years? This International Workers' Day, we examine human value in the age of automation. Who loses ground and wh...

Radio Drama: Bathing

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when a 24-year-old tech worker walks away from her desk job... and into a room where strangers ask her to wash them? On the International...

Imperfect is the new perfect

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if perfection is boring? A Chinese reality show is putting that question to the test live on air. No retouches. No second takes. Just glorious, a...

May Day travel isn't what it used to be

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The May Day holiday is nearly upon us, but the booking trends and flight maps tell a different story this year. It's not just where people are going, ...

The mid-week work break

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, rest followed a simple rhythm: work hard all week, recover on the weekend. But that old pattern no longer fits how people actually live a...

Zero tariffs, big opportunities

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when many parts of the world are raising trade barriers, one major economy is moving in the opposite direction. China's decision to remove t...

Can staying apart keep you together?

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One partner here, the other there. Different cities for some. Separate homes in the same crowded metro for others. And strangely, they all say the dis...

Auto China 2026: where the future hits the road

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest auto shows in history is happening right now in Beijing, with nearly 1,500 vehicles and over 180 world premieres. But this isn't ju...

The Soapbox: the sleeping employee

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's edition of The Soapbox, a young woman in southern China has stirred up controversy. She posted about taking a five hour nap at her comp...

When the sea becomes the stadium

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

At the Sixth Asian Beach Games in Sanya, the wind and waves become part of the game, where every move looks effortlessly shaped by the sea. But how do...

Bonus Ep: Turning pages, opening stories

25 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To close our World Book Day series, Round Table invites you into two richly different worlds: Lu Min's "Dinner for Six" and Di An's "Dear Fengmi", re...

Global demand fueling Chinese online literature growth

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

National Reading Week has come and gone. According to a fresh report, China's online literature scene isn't just bigger than ever; it's a genuine econ...

AI ride-hailing reinvents the way we move

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

AI can already book your hotel and order your food. Now it's coming for your ride. In China, platforms are turning ride-hailing into a single sentence...

The Why: AEDs in Cars

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A stranger shatters a car window not to steal, but to save. He grabs an AED from the back seat and uses it to rescue a life. If a single device works ...

Where history, technology, and storytelling meet

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

April 23 is World Book Day. Across China, a week-long celebration of reading has been taking place. And more specifically in Nanchang, the Fifth Natio...

When a child teaches grown-ups how to love

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Di An wrote the books that defined your teenage years. Now she's writing for the adult you've become. In this third episode of our World Book D...

Tree parenting 101

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, environmental action has been built on a simple idea: plant more trees. But in many places, especially cities, space is limited, and the ...

How AI is redefining the teacher

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

AI is already inside classrooms across China, personalizing homework, grading essays, and tracking student data. None of that is new. But what about t...

Technology's promise, humanity's price

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For World Reading Day, Round Table meets Chinese sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan. He introduces his new book “Ocean Break”: a green utopia island in the...

Read, then roam

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

April 23 is World Book Day, and this week on Round Table, we're taking part in the celebration. Today we launch a special five-part series featuring a...

Beijing's robot race: fun or future?

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Robots just ran a half marathon in Beijing. They weren't just moving. They were competing, stumbling, and pushing through like real racers. So is this...

It's time for looted art to come home

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

France just made it easier to return looted artifacts from the colonial era. Sacred objects. Royal treasures. So what does that mean for China, a coun...

Can cheaper parking fix congestion?

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Several Chinese cities are rewriting their parking rules. Lower fees, shorter billing increments, free overnight and holiday parking. The goal is to f...

SBTI: The "unhinged" personality test

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What started as a tongue-in-cheek tool to help a friend suddenly went viral. Enter the SBTI Test: a fast, funny, wildly shareable personality quiz tha...

Inside the 16th Beijing International Film Festival

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever watched a film and immediately thought,“I want to go there"? Maybe it's a city, a street, or even just a feeling. This year's Beijing ...

Bonus Ep: Travel China through film

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For the Beijing International Film Festival, Round Table presents a special series. Each episode pairs a film shortlisted for the Tiantan Award with a...

The rise of living anywhere

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For many people, growing up once seemed simple: find a stable job, buy a house, and settle down. But today, that mentality is changing. More people, f...

Navigating the AI actor controversy

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

AI has already transformed industries from finance to medicine, logistics to law, and now it's coming for acting. Meet the next generation of stars, d...

Encore: Is your grandma a gamer?

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Soapbox: The "Admin Night" trend / We think of e-sports as a young person's game. But in China, the fastest-growing players are in their 60s and 7...

Encore: What makes a house a good house?

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

China built the world's largest housing market by chasing one thing: more. But the finish line has moved. The urgent new question is no longer "How ma...

Does greatness require suffering?

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has heard the old belief. Real greatness demands sacrifice and struggle. The best among us only made it because somebody drove them hard, oft...

The 6th China International Consumer Products Expo

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine AI glasses that translate 89 languages, a robot picking tea leaves, and a flying car all under one roof. That is the 6th China International C...

Are you seeing more mosquitoes earlier this year?

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Full Circle：Working overtime, Hu Xue Gang, Shared farming. / Have you noticed mosquitoes showing up earlier this year? Maybe you brushed one awa...

China's next phase of E-commerce

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Governments around the world are all trying to answer a key question: How can digital commerce support the real economy — without replacing it? Well...

From classrooms to kickoffs

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Another "super league" is sweeping China's schools: the Class Super League. Sports contests are getting kids off screens and outdoors — but can a fo...

Grow from your smartphone

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine growing your own vegetables without leaving the city. In China, shared garden plots and "cloud farming" apps let people manage crops, harvest ...

China Finds Ep. 2: When ancient grief met modern relief

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our special segment, China Finds! This is where we take a cultural moment from China and unpack the story behind it—not as a history less...

The unexpected rise of "City Busing"

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Cities are packed with leisure spots—restaurants, malls, parks, nightlife districts. But lately, a surprising new venue has entered the chat: the ci...

The 0.3% social insurance solution

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

China is rolling out what some call its "sixth social insurance": long-term care insurance. The cost is just 0.3 percent of income, but the ambition i...

The parental school volunteering trap

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of parents across China stand outside schools in vests, directing traffic with no training, no authority, and no real choice. What began as v...

The new Qingming: From ancient rituals to eco-burials

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It was a day of remembrance, when people across China honor their departed loved ones in different ways. Over the weekend, the country marked another ...

Why can't China stop working overtime?

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2025, China averaged 49 hours a week. Laws exist. Awareness exists. So why nothing changing? Today we ask: who actually benefits from your long hou...

Are you a "vintage human"?

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Move over, Gen Z trends. The latest identity young people are claiming for themselves is "old-school human." It's a deliberate step back from the hype...

Silver screens: Navigating the digital frontier with China's 161 million seniors

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Forget the teenage gamers—the newest power users are your grandparents. From chasing flash sales at midnight to becoming viral influencers, seniors ...

Have pets lost their welcome mat?

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past decade, the rise of pet-friendly cafés, restaurants, and shopping malls has reflected a broader change in urban culture. Pets are no lo...

Steep your next adventure in tea!

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, tea was a staple, the quiet ceremonial background note to Chinese life. But in 2026, the spring harvest has transformed into a high‑s...

Are headphones going back to the jack?

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When people traded wired headphones for their wireless cousins, the decision was driven by style and convenience. But when it comes to the mind, prior...