Category: View From China
“1001 Days of Pouring Concrete in Africa”: A Chinese Engineer’s Memoir Sparks Debate Online
A recently published memoir titled 《在非洲打灰的1001天：一个现代化的故事》 (“1001 Days of Pouring Concrete in Africa: A Modernization Story”) has ignited widespread discussion on Chinese social media. The author, Cao Fengze, holds a PhD in civil engineering from Tsinghua University and previously served ...
“Civil War of Chinese Weapons?” Thai-Cambodian Clash Exposes a Regional Divide in Military Modernization
A military-focused WeChat public account recently published a detailed post analyzing the border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia, which has since reportedly ended with a ceasefire agreement. But the post drew attention as it struck a nerve by asking: “Has the Thailand-Cambodia conflict turned into a ...
From Dali to Kathmandu: Why Burned-Out Chinese Millennials Are Fleeing to Nepal for a Better Chill
As burnout reaches critical levels among China’s young professionals, a new wave of job-quitters is quietly shifting their escape route. Once drawn to the artsy idyll of Dali in Yunnan, many have now set their sights on Nepal, where the pace is slower, the costs are lower, ...
Popular Chinese Commentator Deflects Dam Criticism by Turning the Lens on India and the West
As China forges ahead with construction on what may become the world’s largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, Chinese state-linked voices are mounting a vigorous defense against Indian and Western skepticism. In a recent commentary, former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin pushes back against ...
Congo’s “La Sape” Fashion Culture Through the Unlikely Lens of a Chinese Vlogger
A newly released 2.5-hour documentary titled The Fashion Bible by Chinese travel vlogger and former state media journalist Zhang Jun, known online as “Uncle Bing” (饼叔), has quietly dropped on the Chinese social video platform Bilibili, offering one of the most ideologically layered explorations yet of ...
A PetroChina Insider Reveals About China’s Tumultuous Energy Gamble in Africa
HEADLINE TRANSLATION: "Thirty Years of PetroChina in Africa: Diplomatic Grace or a Long and Arduous Road Ahead?” In a rare and revealing essay published under a pseudonym, a veteran PetroChina executive, known ...
Are We Becoming Like the Taliban? Chinese Feminists Grapple with Women’s Rights, Afghanistan, and the Moral Policing
This week, a wave of outrage swept across China’s internet, not just over a university scandal, but over something deeper: growing anxiety that China’s society could be slipping toward Taliban-style moral authoritarianism. At the center of the storm was a disciplinary ...
Diminishing U.S. Influence? Chinese Official Positions and Expert Debate on the Israel-Iran Conflict
By Miriam Verzellino and Andrea Ghiselli On June 13, Israel launched a series of air and missile strikes against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities, military installations, air defense systems, as well as prominent military leaders, politicians and nuclear scientists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ...
Chinese Grad Student in India Sheds Light on How India Talks About China Behind Closed Doors
A Chinese international relations student known online as “Li Zishuo in India” has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers on Weibo and Bilibili by sharing his experiences studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), one of India’s most politically engaged and left-leaning campuses. His stories offer a rare ...
A Crocodile Feast in Congo Brazzaville Sparks a Cultural Reckoning on Chinese Social Media
On the bustling streets of Brazzaville’s so-called “Ghost Market,” a Chinese food vlogger nicknamed Bing Shu captured what he called the “national dish of Congo”: a fresh-killed crocodile feast, right off the street-side chopping block. His wide-eyed reactions to grilled monkeys, with teeth still intact, and bubbling ...
Why Iran May Be Forced to Kneel: Chinese Commentator Analyzes the Post-war Power Play
A recent commentary from the WeChat public account “战略观察家 (Strategic Observer)” argues that despite Ayatollah Khamenei’s fiery speeches declaring victory and pledging never to surrender, Tehran could soon agree to major concessions under mounting American and Israeli pressure, including giving up its enriched uranium stockpile and ...
For China’s Cross-Border Retailers, Africa Is the New Southeast Asia
A recent article from Xiaguangshe, a Chinese outlet focused on global business trends, spotlights the growing allure of Africa’s e-commerce market for Chinese sellers. Many merchants who previously focused on Southeast Asia or the U.S. are now actively exploring Africa as their next big opportunity, drawn ...