That's was founded in Guangzhou in 1997 by a team of foreign writers with the dream of "taking root in the city's international community while focusing on contemporary China with a global vision."

The founding team combined the concept of an international lifestyle magazine with free subscriptions, creating a precedent for domestic English-language lifestyle magazines, which were quickly recognized and favored by the market.

Over the last 25 years, just like the expat landscape in China, the team at That’s has changed and adapted but more importantly, continued to explore the depths of Chinese culture, news and current events.

From an interview with Chairman Mao’s chef to exploring China’s underwater caves, we like to think that over the last quarter of a century we’ve seen a lot.

For this month’s cover story, That’s veteran Ned Kelly reaches out to previous contributors, editors and photographers and asks them to recall their favorite stories while working on our monthly print publication.

In this issue, we continue to travel back in time. Our Guangzhou-based readers may know Jeremy Sargent as the owner and founder of The Happy Monk. However, many will be surprised to know his ties to China go back as far as the 1980s, having first come to China not long after the country’s reform and opening-up policies.

Finally, Alistair Baker-Brian explores the rise of veganism in modern China. In The Nation, Baker-Brian looks at the fake meat industry, visits vegan restaurants and speaks to some Chinese vegans about how they follow a plant-based diet in the Middle Kingdom.

Scan the QR code to download your free copy of the September issue. 

Best Regards,

Lars Hamer, Editor-in-Chief