China Guide Blog
523 articles · Page 13 of 33
How to Become a Licensed Foreign Teacher in China's Public Schools (2026): The Complete Honest Guide
Teaching English in China's public schools is more regulated than ever. Here's exactly what the 2026 licensing requirements are, how to get your work visa, what to actually expect from the classroom, and why the program is changing.
The Imperial Examination (Keju): How 1,300 Years of Meritocracy Forged China and Inspired the Modern World
A deep history of China's imperial examination system (科举, keju): the world's first large-scale meritocratic civil-service test, running from the Sui dynasty to 1905. How it selected officials by exam, reshaped Chinese society, and influenced modern bureaucracies worldwide.
Why Do Chinese People Collect Art? The Psychology of Jade, Calligraphy, and the Modern Chinese Art Market
From imperial jade collections to billion-dollar contemporary art auctions in Hong Kong, Chinese collecting culture runs deeper than wealth. Here's what drives it—and why it matters to anyone trying to understand Chinese civilization.
Why the Song Dynasty Almost Had an Industrial Revolution (And Why It Didn't)
The Song dynasty (960–1279) had coal-powered iron production, printing presses, gunpowder weapons, and compass navigation centuries before Europe. So why did China miss the industrial revolution? The answer challenges everything we think we know about economic history.
Wudang Mountains Travel Guide 2026: Taoist Sacred Peak and the Birthplace of Tai Chi
A practical 2026 travel guide to the Wudang Mountains in Hubei: the UNESCO Taoist holy mountain where Zhang Sanfeng is said to have founded Tai Chi. Covers how to get there, the Golden Summit, the Ancient Building Complex, costs, best season, and hiking routes.
Changbai Mountain and Wild Northeast China: The 2026 Borderland Travel Guide
Beyond Harbin, China's Northeast (Dongbei) is exploding as a travel frontier: Changbai Mountain's Heaven Lake, Yanji's Korean-Chinese food scene, winter rime, and the Tumen-Hunchun borderlands where China meets North Korea and Russia.
China's Data Economy in 2026: The Regulatory Experiments Reshaping How Business Gets Done
China is running a network of data economy pilot zones—Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and others—where experimental regulations are creating a parallel legal framework for data trading, cross-border data flows, and AI training. What foreign businesses need to know.
China's Postgraduate Entrance Exam (Kaoyan): Inside the World's Largest Grad-School Gauntlet
Each December, millions of Chinese graduates sit the kaoyan (考研), the national postgraduate entrance exam. We explain the numbers, the structure, and why a master's degree has become a national obsession.
China's Overnight Sleeper Trains: A Foreigner's Honest Guide to Sleeping Your Way Across the Country
Not every journey in China needs a flight. China's overnight sleeper trains offer scenic routes, real beds, and a uniquely Chinese travel experience that most foreigners never discover.
China's Private Economy Promotion Law 2026: What the New Statute Means for Business
In 2026 China enacted its first foundational law dedicated to the private sector. We break down why it happened now, the numbers behind the private economy, and what the provisions actually change.
The Chinese Bathhouse: Why Public Bath Culture Is China's Best-Kept Wellness Secret
Forget the spa. China's public bathhouses—公共浴室—are where a culture of communal cleansing, deep-tissue scrubbing, and therapeutic soaking has been refined for centuries. Foreigners are just starting to catch on.
How the Gaokao Is Quietly Winning Global Recognition — And What It Means for International Students
For decades, the Chinese university entrance exam was dismissed abroad. That's changing. Universities from Singapore to the UK are now accepting Gaokao scores directly. Here's the real picture.
Guochao: How China's Youth Fell Back in Love with Domestic Brands
Guochao (国潮, 'national tide') is the fusion of Chinese heritage aesthetics with modern consumer goods. We break down the market data, the brands that rode the wave, and why a generation that once idolized Western labels turned inward.
The Sui Dynasty (581-618): The 37-Year Empire Behind the Grand Canal and the Imperial Exam
The Sui lasted just 37 years and had only two emperors, yet it reunified China after three centuries of division, dug the Grand Canal, and invented the imperial examination system that governed China for 1,300 years.
Yongzheng Emperor: The Reformer Who Saved the Qing Empire and Why His Story Matters
He ruled for only 13 years. In that time, Yongzheng dismantled the fiscal corruption his father enabled, rebuilt the imperial treasury, and created the administrative framework that underpinned China's last imperial golden age.
What Ancient Chinese People Actually Ate — Food History Before Chopsticks Became Universal (2026)
A practical history of Chinese food from the Neolithic to the Tang Dynasty: what people grew, how they cooked it, what they drank, and why the history of Chinese cuisine is also a history of political power.