For our 100th magazine issue, we once again explore an under-reported part of Chinese society—life in its small cities and towns. We find rich stories to uncover outside of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen when we shine the spotlight on “lower-tier” cities like Hefei, Zhengzhou, Qingdao, and Zhaoqing. Elsewhere, we investigate a deadly craze for extreme weight loss methods, report on China’s public sleepers struggling to find accommodation night after night, travel to a Christian community in the Yunnan mountains, discover how an imported noodle dish became the pride of a Hunan city, and enter the debate on ethics among China’s documentary-makers.

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.