1. Editor’s Letter

Made in China

1. Golden Egg How guandan (literally “throwing eggs”) became China’s favorite card gam

Kaleidoscope

1. Cai Shanhai captures the life and leisure of China’s cave dwellers

COVER STORY

1. Viral Attractions
2. Cities fight for tourists with social media marketing and enhanced hospitality, despite the strain visitors place on local infrastructure
3. How Zibo broke the curse of short-lived virality and kept the tourists flowing
4. Can “reverse travel” save China’s tourists from holiday crowds?

Feature

1. More young people are signing prenuptial agreements, but are they enforceable?
2. The booming micro-drama industry faces insider anxiety, regulatory scrutiny, and widespread criticism

ON THE ROAD

1. A journey through the famous Shandong county that no one seems to visit

Time Machine

1. How China’s hotels transformed from exclusive spaces for the privileged to accommodation for the masses

Tech Support

1. As AI revival services boom, ethical and legal controversies abound

DRAGON

1. Countryside Police Station: An Unsolved Case

BOOKMARK

1. Fan Wu’s novel chronicles the experience of Chinese laborers during the First World War and imagines the life of one who stayed in France

ZOETROPE

1. Three-Body’s epic scale and fiercely guarded fanbase present challenges to adaptations

Play Points

1. Video games mix real-world history and fiction in ways that inform—and perhaps distort—people’s views of China

gallery

1. Artist Huang Heshan’s cyberpunk metropolis celebrates and critiques modern urban life

CHI LE MA

1. How malatang went from Sichuan street food to one of China’s favorite dishes

SOCIAL CHINESE

1. A language guide to social media travel posting

ON THE CHARACTER

1. A character for journeys, adventures, and going with the flow

CHINESE YOU NEED

1. The words you need to join the conversation on viral tourism

AGONY AYI

1. You’ve got questions? She’s got answers

PHOTO FINISH

1. PHOTO FINISH
2. Where to Buy