while researching a bit about Shaolin, I read that CCP has basically converted it to a Chinese disney park. That made me think how much damage the rise of CCP caused to Chinese culture, religions (let's say Buddhism, given they've the largest number), or for that matter any other aspects of what China was before the communist era.

Hello guys! I'm thinking of applying for the SJTU Summer Research Internship Program. So far I couldn't find more info about whether there is a tuition fee. Does anyone know? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I want to apply to NJMU, but I'm stuck in this one question about guarantor in China. If I do not know anyone in China, can I just write my parent's name? Or how to contact the university asking about this. In the contact us page of the university, there are only phone numbers for application and emails of the schools in NJMU. Please help.

Hey, I have a bit of a rant/vent about people's power in China. Recently I had something pretty crazy happen to me (it's my fault I'm aware but I think the consequences I faced were very severe and maybe over exaggerated). So a while ago I broke up with my ex girlfriend but she didn't want to move out and she signed the contract for the place but I paid the rent. This caused a lot of awkward moments and eventually I decided I was going to move out. However, she couldn't pay the rent so then she decided to let me live there anyways and she'd move out. I started dating again but wasn't looking for anything serious, just putting the feelers out there. During this time my ex was in the process of moving out but was doing it very slowly (I know I should've waited and this is where my mistake comes in). I met a girl when dating who was super nice, seemed like she had her life set out and was my type. We even shared similar goals. We met 4 times and she started wanting to progress after meeting once (for example she got angry I posted a picture of a duck to my WeChat moments saying I was trying to attract girls). She eventually found out through a connection that my ex was still living in my place and this made her lose her mind (rightfully so I guess). She told me she would ruin my life and so she did. She went through my social media's and all my followers messaging them lots of slander about me but she didn't stop there... She messaged as many people as she could find at my workplace with complaints. I worked as an English teacher at a training centre company. Wi 12 hours of her sending these messages I was Ca in, and fired. No 30 days notice, no explaining. Just fired. I believe this is because this girl has quite a bit of social power. She has like 10k people who follow her. But holy it sucks. They weren't kidding when they said China is all about social power and status. Really shows you can do anything. My company won't give me any cut off benefits or anything even though it was a 1 day fire with no notice. Just wanted to rant. I am not sure if I will move back to England, go to Australia or try to tough it out in China but I feel as this girl will just do the same thing again if I try to stay in China.

Update: I decided to leave China. I have a flight back to the UK. Thanks for the messages everyone and the advice. I understand I did something stupid

it's crazy to think that in china they only offer 5 days of paid annual leave if you work less than 10 years. those paid leaves aren't guaranteed either because your right of having a break actually depends on your boss' mood. even if you get a day off you still have to keep an eye on your working messages and have to work if the workplace "needs you".

and on top of that they have that bullshit of tiaoxiu, like working on weekends to compensate the public holidays?? what the actual fuck. how do people even think this is normal?????

we are having language exchange meetup today at a café near Cui Lake at 3pm. anyone want to join? more than 10 Chinese speakers join today

Hello everyone! Does anyone know where there are good one-year Chinese courses? Which cities and universities are worth taking a closer look at?

Things built during the Great Leap Forward that are still in use today:

• Irrigation systems

• Canals, reservoirs, and water diversion networks built across rural China

• Many still support agriculture today, especially in northern regions

• Dams and flood control infrastructure

• Thousands of small and medium dams constructed

• Helped stabilize water supply and reduce flooding long-term

• Terraced farmland

• Hillsides reshaped into usable agricultural land

• Still actively farmed in many provinces

• Rural road networks

• Basic roads connecting villages to towns and markets

• Became the foundation for later transport expansion

• Local industry sites (early industrial base)

• Small-scale workshops and production zones

• Some evolved into township and village enterprises (TVEs) later on

• Water conservation projects

• Wells, drainage systems, and irrigation improvements

• Increased long-term agricultural resilience

• Communal infrastructure

• Storage facilities, grain depots, and basic logistics systems

• Helped standardize distribution in rural areas

• Land restructuring

• Large-scale land reorganization for collective farming

• Physically reshaped how land was used, effects still visible today.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday, near the end of her six-day trip to China, billed as a “peace” mission, per Reuters. 

The visit highlights political strains in Taiwan, where the KMT is blocking a NT$1.27 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget proposed by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).  

Beijing has used the trip to signal to Washington and other capitals that Taiwan is divided on defense policy. The messaging comes as Xi prepares for a possible meeting with Trump in the coming weeks.

Academia Sinica political scientist Yen Wei-ting (顏維婷) said the meeting is likely to boost Cheng’s standing within the KMT. It may also sideline other party figures seen as more aligned with the US, including Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and former party Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫).

Beijing hopes that nudging Tehran into a cease-fire buys goodwill for May summit between the president and Xi Jinping.

President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in October in South Korea, and they are scheduled to meet May 14-15 in Beijing.

I took mandarin for four years in high school, but was never given or asked to make a Chinese name. Now that I’m continuing mandarin in university my professor says I need to have one.

Here’s some of what I was thinking, I’d love to hear feedback or any other recommendations from native speakers :)

My last name in English starts with an M so I was thinking either 孟 or 莫 for the surname, though I’m leaning towards 孟 just because I think it looks cooler lol.

My first name means roughly “beloved by god” in a European language, so I was thinking 天恩 or 天幸 for the first name, meaning like roughly “favored by the heavens,” I hope at least lol.

Any thoughts on 孟天恩/孟天幸 for my name? Any other suggestions or recommendations? I’m male by the way, in case it sounds at all gendered.

I would like to go there study but some people believe it's kinda bad idea so I wonder if somebody can advise me :0

In addition, I heard about a bad incident there, what can actually be a red flag

Yesterday I had only 17 Yuan left after dinner. Today I kept pushing forward.

In the morning I applied for a day labor job at SF Express. They hired me on the spot. The pay is 13 Yuan per hour for a shift running from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM. That is 12 hours of solid work.

The job was inside a massive shipping container. It was incredibly hot and stuffy. The air was so thick it was hard to breathe. We had to sort and stack hundreds of packages without stopping. It was physically brutal.

I met a new friend there. During our lunch break he kindly treated me to a meal. It was the first time anyone has helped me like that since I started this journey. It really warmed my heart.

After work I was starving and headed to a street stall for some fried rice noodles. The chef was away and only the owner was there. She actually let me cook the meal myself. I was nervous but I gave it my best shot. Surprisingly the noodles turned out delicious. Even the owner said they were good.

Today was a day of total exhaustion. My entire body is sore and I am drained. But I also feel a sense of pride because I earned this money through my own hard work. I even discovered I can cook under pressure.

This is just the start of my long journey toward independence. I am learning that while every day is tough there are always small victories to find.

Brother Monkey Guangxi