The East is Read

The East is Read

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Zhao Shukai: Pluralism powered China’s rural reform
Former official says a pluralistic power structure, neither by design nor the result of negotiation among leaders, created political space and…
Published on Pekingnology • 
Xiaomi: a hater's taunt, a fan revolt
The smartphone & EV maker penalises senior executives after fans discovered it was paying an influencer who once called them "losers."
 • Zichen Wang and Yuxuan JIA
Li Xunlei: one billion people in China have never been on a plane
A 2019 catchphrase about flying pointed to an income problem. Seven years on, how much of his fix has been tried?
 • Yirui LI and Yuxuan JIA
The Caffeine Crisis: CHAGEE and China’s Anti-Drug Nerve
Fresh from becoming the first Chinese tea-drink brand to list on Nasdaq, CHAGEE is hit by a viral scare built on an offhand comment.
 • Yuxuan JIA
Get the “Chinese Trump” to the White House
Ryan Chen’s January U.S. trip is a rare chance for a low-risk, high-reach, de-politicised U.S.-China moment
Published on Pekingnology • 
Zhao Shukai: where Ezra Vogel got it wrong
Correcting the misreadings of Deng Xiaoping and his reforms.
 • Yifan YAN, Yuxuan JIA, and Zhu Yutao

December 2025

Gordon G. Liu: How to live through 80 in China
Top health economist suggests a cleaner environment, better daily habits, a more balanced healthcare system, and AI-driven prevention.
 • Zhu Yutao and Yuxuan JIA
China’s Rural Reform: A History Not Designed but Discovered
Rethinking China’s rural transformation through Zhao Shukai’s inside view of unintended consequences and farmer-driven agency.
Published on Pekingnology • 
Sang Baichuan: China’s struggle with institutional opening up
Despite ambitious goals, fragmented pilots, regulatory inconsistencies, and lack of clarity impede China’s transition to high-standard international…
 • WEI Lai and Yuxuan JIA
Fixation on imperial history risks clouding China’s path to modernity, Shiping Tang warned
Intellectual closure dressed up as awakening, and a dynasty swap turned into a loyalty test.
 • Zhu Yutao and Yuxuan JIA
The Short Age of China’s Long Change
Liu Yuanju shows how the familiar world around us is barely decades old, and why that makes it precious—and precarious.
Published on Pekingnology • 
Wang Ou: Migrant workers, after the honeymoon
Sociologist & child of migrant workers shares stories of young migrant workers through marriage and parenthood—and finds where everyday lives collide…
 • Yiyang Xu and Yuxuan JIA
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