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Chinese Voices Project: Complete Catalog

Low Intermediate Readings

A Modern Chinese Wedding (1.0 / 490)
Joanna Hsu
While each couple adds their own personal touch to the ceremony, every exchange of vows is accompanied by jovial toasts, parental tears, and lots of hong bao all around.
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Lust, Caution (1.0 / 523)
Joanna Hsu
The award-winning new blockbuster by Ang Lee is an espionnage thriller set in wartime Shanghai. The film's much-vaunted eroticism aside, it represents an artistic triumph for the director and his two stars.
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A City of Drivers (1.0 / 355)
Joanna Hsu
The popular image of Beijing as a city of bicyclists is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, as the family car comes to be seen not as a luxury but as a basic necessity for middle-class urbanites.
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The Slacker (1.0 / 352)
Joanna Hsu
What can you do about a colleague who refuses to carry his share of the work? Not much, if he happens to be your boss.
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I Want to be a Millionaire (1.0 / 336)
Joanna Hsu
Ordinary Chinese are striking it rich in the booming stock market, encouraging more and more people to play the game.
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Cell Phones in the Classroom (1.0 / 488)
Joanna Hsu
Chinese parents buy their kids cell phones for safety and convenience. But teachers find them a serious distraction, and some schools are banning them outright.
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The Visitor (1.0 / 446)
Joanna Hsu
Language exchanges with strangers can prove useful and interesting, but sometimes it's not clear what the real motive may be.
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Four Popular Writers (1.0 / 484)
Joanna Hsu
The most talked-about writers in Beijing these days include a child prodigy, a fan of Japanese cartoons, and a famous beauty. They might not be producing great literature, but they've all got colorful stories to tell.
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The Promise and Perils of Seniority (1.0 / 498)
Joanna Hsu
A new law in China promises job security to workers who have been at one job for ten or more years. Many companies, however, prefer younger workers, and are coming up with the usual strategems to evade the rule.
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I Love China (1.1 / 376)
Joanna Hsu
With the help of the internet, a new patriotic movement has arisen in China in response to recent unrest in Tibet and what are widely perceived as attempts to sabotage the Beijing Olympic games.
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Following the Beijing Dream (1.1 / 376)
Joanna Hsu
The latest Kung Fu movie star sensation to hit the silver screen in China has an extraordinary story behind him.
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The Great Blizzard of 2008 (1.1 / 495)
Joanna Hsu
The snowstorms came at the worst possible time: just as millions of Chinese were preparing to return home for the Spring Festival. Major disruptions of transport, electricity, and water services made for a chaotic several weeks, bringing out the worst in some people and the best in others.
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The US Election in Chinese Eyes (1.1 / 515)
Joanna Hsu
The narrowing races in the Democratic and Republican primaries have riveted the attention of young Chinese, who have plenty to say about the candidates in spite of not having a vote.
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Earning a Bonus Just for Staying Put (1.1 / 382)
Joanna Hsu
To counter the tendency of younger employees to jump ship for better jobs at the beginning of the year, some employers have taken to deferring the payment of "year-end" bonuses until well into the new year, after the job-search season has passed.
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There's No Talk Like Crosstalk (1.1 / 357)
Joanna Hsu
The fast-paced comic dialogs of crosstalk, a popular form of verbal folk art in China, fell out of favor in the '90s due to tighter political control. It has recently made a comeback thanks to a star performer whose live performances draw eager fans--and angry lawyers--to his new club in Beijing.
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A Perfect Day (1.1 / 500)
Joanna Hsu
In a city like Beijing, you can never run out of things to do, even if you have the time to do them. A perfect day, though, might involve doing very little at all.
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Red Leaves in the Western Hills (1.1 / 257)
Joanna Hsu
Come autumn, a favorite retreat of Beijingers is the nearby mountain range of the Western Hills. At some of the more popular sites, though, the visitors can seem to outnumber the leaves.
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A City on the Move (1.1 / 383)
Joanna Hsu
Getting around in Beijing is becoming a bit easier and more pleasant these days, with newly opened subway lines, fewer billboards, and better manners among drivers.
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The Child Who Never Returned (1.1 / 385)
Joanna Hsu
When career comes before family for parents, it's the children who stand to lose.
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Sons and Daughters (1.1 / 475)
Joanna Hsu
The one-child policy is often ignored by the urban elite, for whom a larger family is a sign of status and a son a social necessity.
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The Ideal Job (1.1 / 346)
Joanna Hsu
In an environment like today's China, it's easy to forget that the best job is not always the one that pays the most money.
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An October Visit to Tiananmen Square (1.1 / 327)
Joanna Hsu
Even when the weather is bad, visitors to Beijing's central plaza enjoy a festive atmosphere.
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McMansions in Beijing (1.1 / 447)
Joanna Hsu
Luxurious new houses are springing up like mushrooms in the suburbs of Beijing, fueling debates over the ethics of conspicuous consumption in a nation whose population remains overwhelmingly poor.
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Punning Cabbage (1.1 / 262)
Joanna Hsu
The humble cabbage, or bai cai, is more than a ubiquitous winter vegetable. It's also a visual pun suggesting good fortune--of the kind, for example, that might allow you to eat something besides cabbage every day.
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Visas and Vodka (1.1 / 505)
Joanna Hsu
Beijng's Chaoyang district is known for its glittering highrises, glamorous shops, and ritzy cosmopolitan lifestyle. It is also home to a remarkable concentration of embassies and bars, all of which serve, in their own ways, the noble cause of cross-cultural understanding!
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The Spring Festival TV Show (1.1 / 387)
Joanna Hsu
Watching the annual four-hour extravaganza on New Year's Eve is a traditional part of the holiday ritual for millions of Chinese families. The quality of the performances, however, is not always what they'd hope for.
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Text Messages for Women's Day (1.1 / 364)
Joanna Hsu
Like many holidays, International Women's Day in Beijing is marked by the exchange of cell phone text messages among friends. Some are funny, others provocative; all raise questions about the status of women in China today.
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Popcorn, Peanuts, and Mao Zedong (1.1 / 435)
Joanna Hsu
Passengers on a Chinese train are a captive audience irresistable to hucksters of all stripes, selling--at a healthy profit--everything from flashlights to Mao Zedong souvenir cards.
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Beijing's Hutongs (1.2 / 337)
Joanna Hsu
Beijing's old neighborhoods have lots of stories to tell, and make an inviting destination for a visitor with a few hours and a bicycle.
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At What Cost Growth? (1.2 / 494)
Joanna Hsu
Energy use, pollution, and climate change are major hot-button issues in today's China, where rapid economic growth and environmental protection increasingly appear as seriously conflicting priorities.
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In Pursuit of the Perfect Face (1.2 / 312)
Chun Juan
Judging from the number of newspaper ads, plastic surgery is all the rage among the new rich in Chinese cities. It's still got a stigma attached to it, though, making it one of the few forms of luxury consumption you won't hear them bragging about.
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Taking Care of Daddy (1.2 / 325)
Joanna Hsu
Aging parents in China can count on their children to help look after them. They've sometimes got their own ideas, though, about how to spend their leisure time.
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The Growing Pains of China's Universities (1.2 / 260)
Chun Juan
Much is made these days of the rapid development of China's premier universities. Some students, however, have their doubts.
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Roast Duck and Pancakes (1.3 / 430)
Emily Fang
The names of these two Beijing culinary specialties have taken on new meanings among foreigners and Chinese in recent years, as a shorthand for distinguishing who's hot and who's not on an increasingly public dating scene.
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Hillary for President! (1.3 / 234)
Joanna Hsu
The former First Lady's bid for the US Presidency is generating a lot of interest in a country where, as in the US, gender discrimination is a major social issue.
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Tutoring for the College Entrance Exam (1.3 / 317)
Chun Juan
Much of a middle-class Beijing kid's life these days is devoted to preparing, in one way or another, for the national college entrance exam, often with the help of private tutors.
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If You Love Me... (1.3 / 281)
Joanna Hsu
One of the oldest rhetorical ploys in the manipulative lover's playbook is the advertising slogan for a new film playing in Beijing.
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The Third Sex: Female PhDs (1.3 / 273)
Chun Juan
Women who pursue advanced degrees still face a lot of hostility in China, as being smarter than the men around you is not regarded as an appropriately "feminine" characteristic. .
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Any Time is Game Time (1.3 / 291)
Emily Fang
Hand-held computer games are all the rage in Beijing. Guys of all ages play them on the subway, waiting in lines, even on dates with their girlfriends.
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The Fate of Classical Chinese Literature (1.3 / 530)
Joanna Hsu
In the new money economy, the classics no longer have the status they once did, but they still turn up in some interesting places.
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Starbucks in the Forbidden City I (1.3 / 319)
Chun Juan
The Starbucks franchise in the Forbidden City has been the subject of major controversy in the Beijing blogosphere.
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To Give or Not to Give? (1.3 / 435)
Joanna Hsu
Beggars in China used to ask for food and water; now they ask for money, and passers-by, especially in the city, often give them wide berth.
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Textbooks: An Unaffordable Luxury (1.3 / 277)
Chun Juan
Given that the average textbook costs the equivalent of a full week's living expenses, it's no surprise that many university students avail themselves of local photocopy shops instead.
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China's New Proletariat (1.3 / 532)
Joanna Hsu
While the lives of migrant workers are invisible to most city dwellers, the results of their daily labor, in the construction boom that is transforming China's cities, could hardly be more conspicuous.
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Salary Woes at China's Top University (1.3 / 387)
Chun Juan
Although Beida faculty make a lot more than they did in the days when intellectuals were labelled as the "stinking ninth category," a Professor's blog entry has called renewed attention to the continued under-funding of education at every level in China.
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The Ungrateful Boss (1.3 / 516)
Joanna Hsu
If you're not appreciated at the office, there's little point in sticking around.
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The Banana Man(1.3 / 331)
Emily Fang
When American-born Chinese go to China, they're referred to as bananas--white on the inside, yellow on the outside. They get a lot of curious glances and, occasionally, some unexpected treatment.
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Requesting the Right to Die (1.4 / 427)
Joanna Hsu
A severely disabled woman recently petitioned the National People's Congress to pass a law to legalize assisted suicide. She's vowed to persist in her campaign for the right to die with dignity, but given prevailing Chinese views on this issue, she's got a tough row to hoe.
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Looking for Love Online (1.4 / 406)
Lynn Long
Dating websites have become very popular in Beijing, where posting the right kind of personals ad can yield dozens of replies within minutes. Whether their interest is the kind you're looking for is another question altogether.
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Addressing Beijing's Traffic Snarl (1.4 / 310)
Chun Juan
With 1000 new cars added to the streets of Beijing every day, the traffic can be a nightmare. Discount passes for public transportation might go some way towards reducing the gridlock.
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A Food Poisoning Scare (1.4 / 481)
Emily Fang
Food allergies are always dangerous, but they're even more so when restaurants don't take measures to accommodate them. This lunch out in Beijing led to a trip to the hospital--and an apologetic call from the manager.
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Women in White (1.4 / 309)
Joanna Hsu
Who are the ghost-like women waiting under a tree outside their doorway on a cold Beijing night?
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Trouble with the Inlaws (1.4 / 257)
Chun Juan
A familiar source of tension for married couples can take on a new intensity when both partners are from single-child families.
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Starbucks in the Forbidden City II (1.4 / 371)
Joanna Hsu
Another take on the Starbucks controversy.
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Yuanmingyuan: The Film (1.4 / 262)
Chun Juan
The author's reactions to the recent 'documentary' about the Old Summer Palace in Beijing and its destruction during the Opium Wars.
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Wealth and Corruption Go Hand in Hand (1.4 / 252)
Joanna Hsu
With the rise of the new rich in China, resentments about growing income disparities are increasingly evident. Some would argue that corruption, rather than personal wealth, is the real problem; others suggest that the two are inseparable.
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Confucius Hits Prime Time (1.4 / 334)
Chun Juan
A Beijing professor has caused a stir with her popular televised lectures on the teachings of Confucius. Many people praise her efforts, arguing that popularizing the Chinese classics helps ordinary people appreciate the richness of China's intellectual heritage. Some scholars, however, condemn her interpretations for a lack of depth and accuracy.
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A Girl Named Mark (1.4 / 411)
Joanna Hsu
     A trip to a Beijing Walmart reveals a certain carelessness in the assigning of English names to Chinese cashiers, and suggests the prestige value of English even in unlikely settings.
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Reclaiming the Mother Tongue (1.4 / 326)
Chun Juan
     Chinese children are doing fine in English, but their Chinese is going to pot. Does it really matter?
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Going Home for the Holiday? (1.4 / 712)
Joanna Hsu
     This can be a depressing question in Beijing, where a chronic shortage of train tickets makes it difficult for many residents to get home for Spring Festival.
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Chinese Idol (1.4 / 295)
Chun Juan
The most popular TV show in China over the past couple of years, a loose spin-off of American Idol called Super Girl, has prompted calls for regulation on the grounds that dreams of the limelight are distracting young girls from their studies.
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Lao Wai and their Chinese Blogs (1.4 / 624)
Joanna Hsu
Chinese netizens no longer need to learn English to get to know their overseas counterparts, as there are an increasing number of Chinese blogs written by foreigners on the web.
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Doing Business in Beijing (1.4 / 512)
Emily Fang
Setting up a new business is always hard work, but for a foreigner in China the challenges are multiplied. The business opportunities and lifestyle advantages seem to outweigh the costs, however, as the foreigners keep on coming.
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Aliens in the Olympic Village (1.4 / 290)
Joanna Hsu
Some say it looks like a bird's nest, but when it first rose from a dusty field in northern Beijing, the new Olympic stadium could have easily been mistaken for an extraterrestrial's pied-aà-terre.
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The Case of the Missing Bicycle (1.4 / 806)
Emily Fang
If you lose a nice bike in Beijing you're pretty much out of luck, unless you happen to spot it in a neighborhood bike shop the following week. In some cases, though, that might just be the beginning of the story.
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Not Your Geography Teacher's Yangtze River (1.4 / 404)
Joanna Hsu
At 3900 miles, the Yangtze River(Changjiang) is still the longest river in Asia. A recent television series documents its transformation over the past 20 years and brings its historical significance to life.
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High Intermediate-Level Readings

Crisis in Tibet (1.5 / 496)
Lynn Long
Major protests in Tibet have turned all eyes to the top of the world in advance of the summer olympics in Beijing. Can Chinese and foreign views of the situation be reconciled?
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The Gay / Lesbian Scene in Beijing (1.5 / 438)
Emily Fang
Attitudes towards homosexuality are rapidly becoming more accepting in China's major cities. Bars catering to "comrades" and "lalas" abound. For foreign visitors, though, the social rules may take some getting used to.
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Where's my Bike? (1.5 / 318)
Joanna Hsu
They say you're not a true Beijinger until you've lost a bike--and then bought someone else's 'lost' bike to replace it from the repairman down the street.
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Caught in the Web (1.5 / 481)
Lynn Long
Internet addiction among the young is becoming a major social issue in Chinese cities, as students retreat to the world of online games as a refuge from the pressures of school and family.
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A Foreigner's Fresh Start (1.5 / 542)
Alice Yue
'Frugal' would be the last word to come to mind in describing the lifestyle of a typical expat in the booming Central Business District of Beijing. There are foreigners, though, who break the mold, and for reasons that might surprise you. .
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In Pursuit of Peace (1.5 / 462)
Lynn Long
As over-used as slogans of "peace" and "harmony" may sometimes seem, there are deeper meanings to these ideas that merit reflection in an often violently divided world.
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Visa Headaches in Beijing (1.5 / 410)
Emily Fang
Beijing is tightening the rules for foreigners applying for work visas, making life more complicated both for workers and their employers. Politics, as usual, are one part of the problem.
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The Panda Virus Strikes (1.5 / 397)
Joanna Hsu
Computer users thought the cartoon pandas appearing on their desktops were just a cute joke--until they discovered that their files were being erased and their passwords stolen.
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Celebrity Blogs (1.5 / 304)
Chun Juan
One of the most popular celebrity bloggers in China is actress Xu Jingle, whose site has received over 10 million visits. A fascination with the private lives of stars - and increasingly of ordinary people as well - has contributed to the recent explosion in internet use among the Chinese.
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Sweet Potato Pedlars (1.5 / 260)
Joanna Hsu
There's nothing like a freshly roasted sweet potato on a cold Beijing winter day. For the street pedlars who sell them, though, it's a rough and risky way to make a living.
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No Wedding in a Widow Year (1.5 / 497)
Yang Qiong
A quirk in the lunar calendar makes this an inauspicious year for getting married, and many couples rushed to tie the knot before New Years Day. Their friends may wonder, though, whether such haste will bring good fortune in the end.
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Zhang Yimou and 'The Curse of the Golden Flower' (1.5 / 530)
Joanna Hsu
Zhang Yimou's most recent collaboration with Gong Li has generated megabucks at the box office but decidedly mixed reviews, many of which accuse the filmmaker of giving far too prominent a role to his heroine's ample bust. Are the criticisms fair?
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Will You Be My Valentine? (1.5 / 291)
Emily Fang
Valentine's Day is catching on in Beijing as a favorite holiday for lovers, merchants, and chocolate addicts. Though the American rituals are making a big splash, they do have traditional counterparts in China and Japan.
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Fame, Fortune, and Fojiao (1.5 / 508)
Joanna Hsu
When celebrated Chinese actress and businesswoman Chen Xiaoxu took the tonsure and became a Buddhist nun, she prompted reflections on how life imitates art--and on how worldly success can fall short in fulfilling spiritual needs.
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Lust, Caution, Politics (1.5 / 247)
Emily Fang
Film-making in China is always bound up with politics. In the case of Ang Lee's blockbuster Lust, Caution, however, the political denunciations have come from the Oscar committee, rather than the Chinese government..
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Boycott France (1.6 / 576)
Lynn Long
Recent events in France in the wake of the Tibet unrest have led for calls for a boycott of French goods in China and demonstrations in front of Carrefour department stores. Many Chinese, however, reject such tactics, and urge a more open-minded consideration of the issues.
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Sea Turtles and Kelp (1.6 / 521)
Alice Yue
Chinese students returning home after studying abroad are finding it more difficult than it once was to leverage their overseas training into a well-paying job.
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Walmarts in Beijing (1.6 / 318)
Joanna Hsu
Walmart superstores have been blamed for killing off thousands of small family-owned businesses in US towns; their effects in Beijing neighborhoods seem, unfortunately, to be much the same.
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Lights Out Time at Beida (1.6 / 316)
Ye Xiaojun
At Peking University, lights go off at midnight to save energy, but students don't necessarily sleep.
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Beijing Opera Artists (1.6 / 514)
Joanna Hsu
A review of a recent biography of eight Beijing opera singers that casts their art in a new light.
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Blogging in Beijing (1.6 / 318)
Yang Qiong
Blogging has taken off in China, and as elsewhere, newly formed networks of readers and writers make the world feel like a much smaller place.
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An Ancient Religion for a Modern Age (1.6 / 252)
Joanna Hsu
Buddhism is blossoming anew in urban centers throughout China. What place does a religion of renunciation have in a consumerist society?
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Responsibility (1.6 / 497)
Lynn Long
Your aging mother is working in a Mahjong parlor for $65 per month and could really use some of that money you've put aside for your college education. What do you do?
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Memories of Tomb Sweeping Day (1.6 / 428)
Joanna Hsu
Expectations of filial piety in China extend after a parent's death. Their fulfillment in the rituals of Tomb Sweeping Day can make a lasting impression on the children who are brought along to take part.
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The Meaning of Love (1.6 / 442)
Lynn Long
The thought of a single woman adopting a child might strike many in China as odd--at least until they heard her reasons.
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Advanced-Level Readings

Beggars in Beijing (1.7 / 400)
Lynn Long
The old peasant woman on the subway had been abandonned by her children, so she came to the city to beg for a living. Some fellow passengers take pity on her; others are skeptical or even cynical about her plight.
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China's Left-Over Brides (1.7 / 622)
Alice Yue
Women beyond the age of 30 are finding it increasingly difficult to find a husband, owing to a combination of rapid social changes and die-hard traditions.
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Christmas Eve Birthday (1.7 / 265)
Chun Juan
A December 24th birthday just isn't the same since Beijingers have taken up the Christmas habit.
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Gender Equality, 100 Years Later (1.7 / 370)
Yang Qiong
Equality between the sexes was one of the central promises of the revolutionary movements in China from the early 20th century onwards. While women have entered the workforce in great numbers, popular attitudes about women's proper roles have been very slow to change.
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AIDS in China (1.7 / 295)
Chun Juan
Sex is often not a comfortable topic in China, and the growing prevalence of AIDS even less so, though the situation is gradually beginning to change.
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The Old Can't Afford to be Ill (1.8 / 664)
Alice Yue
With health care costs rising, extended families shrinking, and the social security safety net in tatters, how will the growing ranks of the elderly in China get the care they need?
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No Answer is Also an Answer (1.8 / 261)
Joanna Hsu
Beijing buses are frequently packed, and sometimes tempers can flare.
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The Changing Culture of Teahouses (1.8 / 236)
Yang Qiong
The traditional teahouse in China has gone the way of the American coffeeshop, from being a casual neighborhood gathering place to an elite preserve for luxury consumption.
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Chinese Lantern Festival (1.8 / 342)
Joanna Hsu
This favorite festival of Chinese children can be a bittersweet experience whose lanterns aren't quite up to snuff.
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The Trouble with Dogs (2.1 / 676)
Alice Yue
     Small dogs have replaced the pigeons of old as the pet of choice among Beijing residents. But the Chinese have traditionally not looked kindly on dogs, and given many residents' experiences with their new neighbors, this attitude seems unlikely to change.
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Walking in the Snow (2.3 / 292)
Alice Yue
     After the first snowfall of the year in Beijing, the author takes a walk in Yiheyuan with a close friend.
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The Sound of the Doves (2.4 / 440)
Alice Yue
     Once a familiar sound in the skies of old Beijing neighborhoods, the distinctive whistling of homing pigeons in flight is rarely heard now, but it remains richly evocative for those who still remember life in the hutongs.
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