A community volunteer checks out vegetables to be distributed to residents in a compound during a lockdown in Pudong district, Shanghai, China, on April 12.
A community volunteer checks out vegetables to be distributed to residents in a compound during a lockdown in Pudong district, Shanghai, China, on April 12.

Lockdowns Expose China’s Dysfunctional Trucking Industry

COVID-19 outbreaks are hitting domestic supply chains at their weakest point.

A woman shelters from the rain during a lockdown in Shanghai on April 13.
A woman shelters from the rain during a lockdown in Shanghai on April 13.

China’s Lockdowns Take Economic Toll

An omicron surge will likely have long-lasting consequences for GDP growth.

A resident sits on a rooftop of a building in the Jing'an district of Shanghai on April 6.
A resident sits on a rooftop of a building in the Jing'an district of Shanghai on April 6.

Shanghai Households Are Running Out of Food

Lockdown and logistical disaster have left people hungry.

A worker wearing a protective gear walks next to barriers that separate a neighborhood under lockdown from the street in Shanghai on March 30.
A worker wearing a protective gear walks next to barriers that separate a neighborhood under lockdown from the street in Shanghai on March 30.

Shanghai Enters Full Lockdown

The announcement has sparked panic-buying and confusion throughout the city, where centralized quarantine facilities are already overloaded.

Rescuers for the flight recorder at a plane crash site in Guangxi, China, on March 22.
Rescuers for the flight recorder at a plane crash site in Guangxi, China, on March 22.

Plane Crash in China Raises Puzzling Questions

The country has not had a serious flight accident since 2010, but officials aren’t sharing many details.

A health worker gets a swab sample from a woman to be tested for COVID-19 in Beijing on March 16.
A health worker gets a swab sample from a woman to be tested for COVID-19 in Beijing on March 16.

China Confronts Looming COVID-19 Crisis

The biggest pandemic surge since the initial outbreak in 2020 is already straining the country’s restrictive system.

Chinese President Xi Jinping drinks a cup of water during the second plenary session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 8.
Chinese President Xi Jinping drinks a cup of water during the second plenary session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 8.

Russia’s Isolation Spurs Rethink in China

As Moscow grapples with the swift effects of economic sanctions, Beijing looks toward self-sufficiency.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying gestures during the daily press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Feb. 24.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying gestures during the daily press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Feb. 24.

Did Russia Catch China Off Guard in Ukraine?

Beijing may have at least bought Moscow’s narrative of a quick invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their meeting in Beijing on Feb. 4.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their meeting in Beijing on Feb. 4.

China’s Murky Position on Ukraine

Beijing has indicated tacit support of Moscow, but there is some uncertainty behind the scenes.

Eileen Gu celebrates with her gold medal during the women's freestyle big air medal ceremony during the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on Feb. 8.
Eileen Gu celebrates with her gold medal during the women's freestyle big air medal ceremony during the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on Feb. 8.

Eileen Gu and the Chimerican Dream

The Olympic freestyle skier has stirred controversy for representing China. She is the product of a vanishing shared space between the Chinese and American elite.

Guests applaud people on stage at a show held as part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay in Beijing on Feb. 2.
Guests applaud people on stage at a show held as part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay in Beijing on Feb. 2.

Beijing Locals Shrug as Winter Olympics Begin

With China’s closed-loop system around the Games, it’s not clear who’s watching.

A migrant worker crosses a road after arriving on a long distance bus in Beijing on March 10, 2021.
A migrant worker crosses a road after arriving on a long distance bus in Beijing on March 10, 2021.

How Beijing’s COVID-19 Outbreak Exposes Urban Poverty

Most middle-class Chinese rarely get a glimpse of the lives of the migrant workers who keep the city running.

Security guards stand inside a fenced area that is part of the closed loop bubble for people taking part in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing on Jan. 19.
Security guards stand inside a fenced area that is part of the closed loop bubble for people taking part in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing on Jan. 19.

The Omicron Variant Arrives in Beijing

With two weeks to go before the start of the Winter Olympics, China is doubling down on COVID-19 conspiracy theories.

A staff member opens a door at a temporary COVID-19 testing facility in Tianjin, China.
A staff member opens a door at a temporary COVID-19 testing facility in Tianjin, China.

As Another City Locks Down, China Is on High Alert

Tianjin’s proximity to Beijing is a chief concern for leaders, especially as the Winter Olympics near.

A sanitation worker sweeps a deserted road in Xian, China, on Dec. 28, 2021.
A sanitation worker sweeps a deserted road in Xian, China, on Dec. 28, 2021.

Can China Lock Down Again?

The city of Xian illustrates the challenges of the zero-COVID-19 strategy in the omicron era.

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