Forty years ago, migrants from China’s countryside transformed its economy. But today, the labor market is markedly different. We look at where aging migrant workers go when they reach retirement age, and why the assembly line no longer attract youths. We also explore depressed teens’ search for understanding, take a ride on China’s disappearing rural buses, assess renowned author’s quest to shed his sexist reputation, and remember the glory days of wangba—China’s smokey, wild internet cafes.

Can China make urban life friendly for children? We investigate by examining childcare shortages and child-friendly cities initiatives in this issue’s cover story. Elsewhere, we report the last days of an iconic Hong Kong market, take a motorbike trip around Taiwan, interview a couple making art out of hair, discover how the pandemic affected tattooists in Chengdu, and much more.

China’s construction boom has come to the countryside. In this issue, we investigate the complicated repercussions for land rights. Elsewhere, we examine the legacy of corporal punishment, reveal the secret behind a booming milk tea brand, explore China’s “outsider art” community, discover forgotten relics, and much more.

Big data is transforming everyday life in China—but has the digital revolution gone too far? We investigate in this issue’s cover story. Elsewhere, we analyze the representation of China’s Northwest in film, talk to modern pilgrims on spiritual journeys, explore how abandoned factories are being given new life, and more.

This issue, we explore China’s lack of public spaces and debates over which people (and dogs) should have access to them. Elsewhere, we investigate dialect content on social media, unpack the drive for food security, experience centuries-old Kazakh falconry culture, feature an exclusive piece from translator Nicky Harman, and more.

In this issue, we investigate efforts to fill three vital gaps in China’s public education: on sex, death, and aesthetics. We also enter the world of UFO hunters; find out why young Chinese are giving up sugar; ask when domestic TV will get good female characters; talk to graffiti artists working with government; and more.

We hear from people with disabilities about the challenges of access in China and what real inclusion means; investigate abuses in the pet industry; hear the harrowing story of a miner-turned-poet; tour an abandoned nuclear facility; and more.