Cultural Compass

Editor’s Note: LABUBU may seem like an overnight global sensation, but behind the worldwide craze for this wide-mouthed, mischievous-eyed doll lies years of dedication and development by POP MART—the company that brought it to life. Beyond LABUBU's viral success, the rise of POP MART and other

By Pierre Picquart Recently, a piece of news sparked widespread attention on social media: The star player of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, had his head shaved at the Shaolin Temple and separated from his entourage to undergo a 10-day seclusion for spiritual practice. This was

Editors' Note: The 2025 Gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, started on June 7 and runs through June 8. For many Chinese students, this exam is seen as one of the most important opportunities in their lives to pursue their dreams. Some even joke that Gaokao decides your

By Ryan Yeh As the sweet aroma of steamed rice and reed leaves wafts through kitchens across China this week, millions of families are preparing zongzi—pyramid-shaped sticky rice dumplings nestled in green leaves. To the uninitiated, this delicacy might seem like the Asian version of the tamale. Yet, within

This article is composed of paragraphs from Zhejiang Publicity, People's Daily, Study Times, and Capital News. In the 1960s, anthropologist Clifford Geertz coined the term “involution” to describe a pattern of agricultural development on Indonesia’s Java Island, where labor input kept increasing but productivity did not. Although

Source: WeChat Official Account "Dixian Siwei", an editorial column of Guancha.cn The China-U.S. high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs achieved substantial progress by significantly reducing bilateral tariff levels. However, the existential dilemma facing countless small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) owners remains stark. Take the case

By Ryan Yeh Forget the usual suspects, the latest activity to leap from niche hobby to national obsession in China is undoubtedly fishing. From the shimmering corners of city parks to the rugged banks of rivers and lakes, and even to the fishing short videos that go viral online, the

A survey conducted by Global Times Research Centre found that over 90% of respondents affirmed the importance of harmonious and friendly China-Latin America relations for China's future development. Most hope that the current state of relations will be maintained or will become even more amicable.  U.S. pressure

Editor: China’s May Day holiday, one of the country’s largest annual holidays, concluded on May 5. As expected, the five-day break triggered a nationwide travel boom. Yet beyond the bustling crowds, several new tourism trends have emerged, indicating potential new drivers for China’s economic growth. On the