Those of us living in China might have been spared the tumultuous drama that our US counterparts have experienced in 2017, but like always, the Middle Kingdom has had its own fair share of attention-grabbing headlines. From the boom of shared bikes to a presidential visit from The Donald, our team has put together a list of 2017’s most unforgettable viral stories, recounting major events that defined the worlds of sports, tech, arts, fashion and food. Here’s to another year of eclectic, weird and wonderful life in China, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
For more, follow our full 2017 Year in Review coverage.
A selection of the best and most popular long reads on China from Thatsmags.com in 2017.
1. The China Rooftoppers Who Will Do (Almost) Anything for the Shot
We scale China's highest vantage points with some of Shanghai, Beijing and the The PRD's most prolific rooftoppers on Instagram.
2. The Rise of Bike Sharing and China's Love Affair with Cycling
Bikes have long enjoyed a unique kind of welcome in China and, today, a fresh wave of bike mania is once again sweeping the country.
3. Is China's 'Internal Passport' Becoming Obsolete?
A four-part series on China's hukou system, in which we explore whether or not it's here to stay, its impact on families and what people think of it today.
4. How China's Growing Appetite for Meat Affects Us All
Mad for beef: how China's massive craving for beef products has the potential to threaten public health and inflict irreversible environmental damage.
5. The World Is Eating Chinese Caviar (And Doesn't Know It)
The best caviar in the world is 'Made in China,' but producers don't want you to know.
6. The Rise of Whale and Dolphin Captivity in China
Years after the documentary Blackfish made the capture and display of marine mammals taboo in the West, China is just beginning to dive into the act.
7. The Growing Popularity of Vaping in Tobacco-Hooked China
As cigarette bans gather steam in China, the country's smokers turn to vaping.
8. Game On: The Future of Sports is Digital. It's Also Chinese.
Meet the pro athletes, academics and tournament organizers of China's massive esports industry.
9. How OxyContin Could Trigger a Second Opioid Epidemic in China
The company that kickstarted America's OxyContin addiction crisis is looking to replicate its success in China, but will the same tactics work in a country already bearing the scars?
10. How to Sell the American Dream (Without Getting Banned from China)
How one company is selling dreams and dish soap in China amid its pyramid scheme crackdowns.
11. China's Growing Role in the Global Refugee Crisis
As China's role on the international stage grows, so does its importance to the global refugee crisis. In this three-part series, we examine China's stance towards refugees, look at facts and figures of the global refugee crisis in relation to China and feature a first-hand account of seeking asylum in Beijing.
12. The Fall of Guangdong's Urban Villages, Migrants' Last Refuge
A three-part look at Guangdong's fast-disappearing urban villages in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
13. Slow Train to Dongbei: Three Days Aboard China's Longest Rail Journey
There are few better ways to see a country than from a slow train. And there are few better ways to meet people than being thrown in train carriage full of them.
14. The Rural Hebei Counties Set to Become the New Shenzhen
How well does Beijing really know its neighbor? We find out in this two-part series.
15. Veganism's Slow March to the Chinese Dinner Plate
Spreading veganism in the Middle Kingdom can be a slow journey, but grassroots advocacy groups across the country are working to change that.
16. How Abuse of Antibiotics is Feeding China's Superbugs
Just how easy is it to illegally obtain a pack of antibiotics over the counter in China? We decide to give it a try.
17. The Art of War: Meet China's New War Correspondents
In conversation with China’s war correspondents reporting from the front line of state media's soft-power drive.
18. The Citywide Renovations Changing Beijing As We Know It
We explore the Great Bricking of 2017 in more depth. To get a better idea of how the renovations are impacting everyday people, we also conducted a series of interviews with Beijingers were are directly impacted by the renovations.
19. The Hits, Misses and Celebrities of Advertising in China
Chinese brands are spending unprecedented amounts of money on advertising. But are consumers buying it?
20. Drinking with China's Master Water Sommelier
Diving into China's luxury water market with one of China's only water sommeliers. A relatively rare profession, there are just a few countries around the world that offer professional training programs to learn the trade.
21. The Great Malls of China
Real estate developers and retail property analysts on the future of China's shopping centers and how they are dealing with the influx of competition, as well as the constantly changing market landscape.
22. The Great Debate: The Chinese Teens Learning How to Argue... in English
English-language debate is more popular than ever in China – yet inequality and misconception remains.
23. How Fidget Spinners Cashed, Then Crashed in Middle Kingdom
What a once insanely popular toy says about China's manufacturing industry.
24. Virtual Reality: China Bets Billions on Troubled Tech
Despite becoming more commonplace, VR still isn’t ready for a place in the living room between the television and computer. Can China make Virtual Reality get real?
25. How Former Tianjin Expat Kensuke Ishizu 'Saved' American Style
Writer W David Marx on Kensuke Ishizu's role in preserving American Ivy League fashion.
26. The Maternity Nurses Meeting China's Surging Demand for Live-In Help
How would you feel about having a stranger live in your home after your child is born, 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
27. Inside the Last Three Restaurants of London's Forgotten Chinatown
The laundries and opium dens of Limehouse were once at the heart of London's Chinese community. Now just three restaurants remain.
28. What China's History Says About Its Role in Globalization
Four hundred years ago, a new trading route linking Latin America with Asia put China at the heart of a globalizing world. What does it mean for today's diplomacy?
29. How India's Restaurants Make Chinese Food Their Own
Sichuan... Paneer? While China and India are emerging world superpowers economically, they’re already world superpowers gastronomically.
30. China Is Obsessed with 'Little Fresh Meat'. Here's Why.
Pop culture and branding experts on the appeal behind xiaoxianrou in China.
For more 2017 Year in Review coverage, click here.
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