🏙️
Modern Life
How do 1.4 billion people live, work, date, and relax in 21st-century China? From WeChat to guanxi, explore the rhythms of contemporary Chinese life.
3 articles
🏙️
Modern Life
Guanxi: China's Relationship Network and How It Really Works
Guanxi — China's network of relationships and reciprocal obligations — is often misunderstood as just 'networking' or 'corruption'. It's far more nuanced and far more central to how things actually get done.
6 min readMar 8, 2026
🏙️
Modern Life
Face (Mianzi): The Social Currency That Runs China
Face (面子, mianzi) is one of the most important concepts in Chinese culture — and one of the least understood by outsiders. It explains everything from gift-giving to business negotiations.
7 min readMar 1, 2026
🏙️
Modern Life
WeChat: How One App Became the Backbone of Chinese Life
WeChat isn't just a messaging app — it's where Chinese people live their digital lives. One app for messaging, payments, news, healthcare, government services, and more.
7 min readFeb 22, 2026