The Rock Out Issue 

December, 2019

They’re noisy, unpredictable, and more popular than ever: We travel to China’s music festivals and explore the contained forms of expression they still offer. We also tackle rising insomnia rates, journey to the world’s highest peak, and more.

2000年，内地第一个音乐节的诞生，被视为音乐的乌托邦。如今，越来越多的音乐节进驻中小城市，各地政府希望通过打造音乐节文化为城市塑造年轻形象，年轻人则将参加音乐节视为新潮的娱乐方式。音乐节已经不仅仅关乎音乐和舞台，也成为了各种资本力量的竞技场。

 COVER STORY | 封面故事 

Tuning Up

Outdoor music festivals had a fairly recent, utopian start in China’s capital in the early 2000s, but are now “mass entertainment” events held in the hundreds in smaller cities and scenic sites to attract visitors and a hipness quotient. Local governments have become the main supporters of these chaotic and at times provocative events, creating contradictions of expression and control that long-time music fans are still struggling to come to terms with

户外音乐节是音乐的乌托邦，也是资本的竞技场

 FEATURES |主题故事 

Sleepless in China 

Modern-day stress and mobile phone usage have increased insomnia for Chinese of all ages, driving a boom in health supplements, sleep-tracking apps, and even “napping pods” that all promise some well-deserved shuteye, but fail to put consumers’ safety concerns to sleep 

当睡觉成了个“事儿”

Class Action 

Amid the demolition of migrant neighborhoods, 14 years after urban population control measures began, grassroots volunteers and NGOs are continuing the struggle to educate the children of China’s migrant worker on the margins of policy and the modern city

十四年的城市立足梦：打工子弟学校的坚持

Life or Death Decision

Though an aging society is forcing Chinese families to have formerly taboo talks about death, hospices remains a little understood or available option. Palliative care professionals discuss the filial and political roadblocks to wider acceptance of this vital resource

临终关怀：如何度过生命最后的一段旅程？

 ON THE ROAD | 在路上 

Peak Season

Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, is on the bucket list of not only serious climbers, but tourists who explore the world’s highest peak from the safety of its base camp. Getting to the mountain is an arduous two-day road trip filled with high-altitude challenges, as well as stunning vistas, cross-cultural encounters, and examples of local hospitality up-close

万丈珠峰，始于攀登

 KALEIDOSCOPE | 镜像中国 

Creative Cram

China’s college entrance exam, or gaokao, makes international headlines, but few outside the country know of the yikao, the practical and written entrance tests for creative colleges and majors. Each summer, talented teens begin rigorous training for a life-changing audition that comes with no certain results—and leads to equally uncertain careers

艺考生的苦乐年华

 DRAGON ’S DIGEST | 三味书屋 

The Apparitions

In an unnamed forest guarded by a solitary ranger, tales of beasts, gods, and ghosts proliferate, and anything could appear around the next bend. Liao Jing’s short story interweaves folklore with a modern setting to examine the relation between the spiritual and the secular

短篇小说《色相》

 MEMORY LANE | 那些年 

Permanent Revolution

From the Qing dynasty queue to proletarian pigtails, China has struggled to find a signature hairstyle for much of its modern history. We look back at the curls, bobs, braids, and cuts that defined each generation of the PRC

“烫头”趣味史

 CHI LE MA | 吃了吗  

Ode to the Ou

Though the lotus is a well-known religious symbol, it also makes for a tasty snack. In southern China, steamed lotus root, or ou, is stuffed with glutinous rice and drizzled with osmanthus syrup to make a sweet seasonal delicacy

桂花糯米藕：香甜软糯的秋冬滋味

 GALLERY | 水墨丹青  

Demolition Dolls

Hubei-born artist “Nut Brother” is known for subversive projects like making a “smog brick” and bottling polluted water. After a recent performance using 400 dolls from a Shenzhen migrant suburb, Nut Brother reflects on art’s role in giving a voice to the marginalized

坚果兄弟：用艺术表达真实

 ZOETROPE | 视听空间  

My Country, My Cinema

“Patriotic films” are a staple of Chinese cinema, and the PRC’s 70th anniversary was the perfect time to cash in on the genre. Two new releases, My People, My Country and The Captain, provide contrasting examples of how to make nationalism entertaining

主旋律佳作成就史上最强国庆档

还有更多栏目，小说、艺术、语言……从国际视角欣赏中国文化，用地道英文讲述中国故事。有温情，有幽默，有新观点，有真态度……从封面到封底，精彩内容不间断！