Society

Local governments in Chinese cities are taking extra measures to encourage couples to marry early and have children. However, given the youth’s shifting values and society’s tolerance for singlehood, these measures are falling short. Meanwhile, netizens are lamenting that government policies should not be coercive or objectify women.

With the uproar around the Fukushima treated wastewater at a peak, Chinese academic Zhang Tiankan takes a look at historical and scientific facts that help us understand the risks and effects of drinking treated nuclear-contaminated water. Is the fear justified?

Issues such as gender diversity and environmental protection seem to be too abstract for first-generation Chinese immigrants in the US, who see these problems as having no impact on day-to-day life. US academic Wu Guo mulls over the reasons why this group of new immigrants, for all their desires to be part of the American education system, is a staunch detractor of progressive ideals that are part and parcel of the system itself.

Tourism in China is still recovering following the pandemic, and some areas see a surge of tourists after going viral on the internet. One such place is Tianjin, whose claim to fame is a group of “diving grandpas” diving off the 6-metre-high Shizilin Bridge, despite signs prohibiting such activities. Sadly, they have declared that they will stop doing so. How long will other such ground-up activities last?

Given its pluralistic nature, the Chinese language has taken many shapes over the course of history, with its written form and the associated dialects dictated by time and place. Meanwhile, the rise of China and its growing national power have led to the emergence of Chinese as an international language that transcends national borders. Eddie Kuo, Emeritus Professor at NTU, delves into the evolution of the language in the different Chinese-speaking regions.

Even with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from top universities in China, graduates are facing a tough job market. While some are choosing to remain unemployed in hopes of better opportunities, others are exhausting all avenues to make a living, from taking the civil service examination to becoming "full-time children". Lianhe Zaobao journalists Li Kang and Zhu Yuxuan look into the issue.

In the first summer vacation since Covid-19 lockdowns were lifted in China, study tour operators are back in full force throughout the country. Interestingly, two extremes have emerged in terms of spending on such tours depending on region and family income. Against a backdrop of uneven economic development and unequal distribution of educational resources across China, will this polarisation aggravate its social stratification problem?

While members of the “Fujian gang” have made the news recently for their billion-dollar money-laundering case, less is known about their lavish lifestyles and the trails their clandestine activities leave behind. Zaobao senior correspondent Poh Lay Hoon reports.

Commentator Tan Haojun highlights the many grey areas that the people in white in China find themselves in, amid an all-out anti-corruption campaign in the medical sector. It may be unimaginable that the same sector lauded for brave work during the pandemic is under investigation for rampant corruption. The reality is that heroes and the corrupt coexist, and only by reining in those hungry for power and profit can the system start to rid itself of the bad hats.