Man documents disappearing ancient architecture in Shanxi through 1,000 ink sketches
Braving muddy village roads and poor living conditions, Lian visits rural Shanxi twice a year so that he can search for the province's ancient architectural treasures before they are lost forever to looting and development, a passion he has pursued for 19 years.
'The Elon Musk of China' aims to lead his spacecraft business onto the international stage
On May 17, the 32-year-old man successfully launched a solid-fuel rocket named OS-X from a launching base in Northwest China, the first-ever rocket researched and developed by a private company in China.
Veteran table tennis paddle maker behind many of China's world champions
Previously a bench worker in the Chinese army, Cao has spent more than 60 years repairing and making table tennis rackets, winning many thumbs-up from world cup champions. In this time, Cao has repaired over 800 paddles.
Chinese double amputee summits Qomolangma after four decades of failed attempts
The moment that Xia Boyu dreamed about for 43 years arrived Monday when the 69-year-old double amputee climber declared to the world - and, most importantly, to himself - that he made it to the top of Qomolangma. Over the past 43 years, Xia has suffered amputations and battled cancer, but he never stopped training for his next climb. His perseverance has led many to regard him and his story a Chinese version of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
Somalian's new documentary shows Africans achieving success in China
The six-episode documentary, which took two years to shoot, documents the lives of over 20 Africans in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, which is now becoming the world's largest wholesale market and a hub for China-Africa trade as its African community thrives.
79-year-old Chinese academic spearheads efforts to break US high-tech monopoly
China's lack of progress in domestically developed computer chips and operating systems has become a heated topic once again after the US issued a ban against Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp in mid-April.
Doctor tells of harrowing arrest after calling popular tonic 'harmful' in blog
Three months in detention have left Tan Qindong a considerably changed man. On his profile photo, he is the picture of confidence: wearing his doctor's scrubs and smiling broadly with his arms crossed. Now, the 39-year-old doctor seems distressed and anxious.
China's only sign language lawyer on mission to defend deaf people's rights
Tang Shuai's social messaging app WeChat almost crashed recently after thousands of people sent him invitations hoping to befriend him. All these aspiring WeChat friends had one thing in common: they are deaf.
Designer on quest to lead visual revolution with Chinese style characters
Post-90s designer Ye Tianyu has always had a keen interest in reviving classical Chinese culture, and now he's using that passion to address the dearth of digital Chinese types by creating a high-value digital character bank.
Professor uses physics to tackle problems facing Team China
While many people denounce the pathetic performance of Chinese football in international games, one retired physics professor is trying to understand the reasons behind the failure of the sport in this country.
Veteran medical worker dedicated to helping poor patients in Tanzania
Traveling around the world on aid missions may sound like a glamorous calling, but when Song Tao, a Chinese medical worker, announced that he would go to Tanzania on one such mission, his friends “went visibly pale.”
Chinese inventor's circumcision device hailed for role in fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa
A former carpenter from Wuhu, Anhui Province, with no previous medical knowledge has won recognition from Bill Gates for a male circumcision device that he invented.
90-year-old sprinter shows no signs of slowing down in medal chase
Su Pengxue turned 90 last year, but everybody who sees him says he looks like someone in his 70s. What he didn't tell people was that while others his age might be in wheelchairs, he has managed to break a world record in a track event.
Veteran NPC deputy with storied history continues to break records
Sporting her signature dark blue suit and short bob haircut, Shen Jilan, 89, arrived in Beijing to participate in this year's two sessions.
Chinese lawyer faces social pressure in bid to give single women right to freeze eggs
A week before this year's national two sessions, Zhan Yingying (pseudonym) was excited to finally receive positive feedback from a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC). The deputy told Zhan that he would be willing to hand in her proposal on an issue that was extremely close to her heart: giving women the legal right to freeze their eggs in Chinese hospitals.
Japanese restauranteur brings authentic Lanzhou noodles to Tokyo
On a Sunday morning, when almost all the shops on Yasukuni-dori street, Tokyo, are closed, a line quietly forms in front of a Chinese noodle shop. At 11 am, staff open the door and usher customers inside.
Woman devotes life to screening films for people in countryside
Guo, a projectionist in Kaifeng, Henan Province, has been showing films for 44 years. Now 63, she has overseen 150,000 screenings in total, watched by tens of millions of viewers. It was a passion that was ignited by her first film watching experience at the age of 5.
Advocate speaks out for sexually harassed deaf women in China
“I've set up an electric shock device outside my vagina. If anyone touches it, he'll be electrocuted.”