China’s gay emperor known for his ‘cut sleeve’
Ai of Han's reign has been interpreted by historians as opening the door to court corruption and dynastic crisis. But he is remembered today mostly for a tale of passion and love.
Alex Colville
Alex is an arts writer whose work has featured in The Economist and The Spectator.
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Lin Huiyin fought to preserve Old Beijing, and much more
Lin Huiyin — architect, poet, preservationist, lover — was one of modern China’s most remarkable women. She is sometimes overshadowed by her husband Liang Sicheng, the “father of modern Chinese architecture,” but her own work cannot be denied.
Ancient beauty Wang Zhaojun’s shifting significance
Wang Zhaojun is one of the four beauties of ancient China, a woman who prevented bloodshed by being a "peace bride." But she suffered during her lifetime, and her story has never been her own — even as she became a muse for poets and writers throughout the centuries.
An artist and her gun in 1989: Xiao Lu’s accidental revolt
Four months before June 4, 1989, an unknown artist triggered the state by pulling a trigger. Critics and journalists jumped on the story for its political and social implications, but lost in the shuffle was the artist herself and the real reason — rooted in personal trauma — for her incendiary performance.
Song Dandan, China’s beloved comic actress (and Chloé Zhao’s stepmom)
"You are the legend of our family," Song Dandan wrote about Chloé Zhao after Zhao became the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Director. In this week's Chinese Lives, we take a closer look at Song, an accomplished star in her own right.
China’s Renaissance man
Zhang Heng was a genuine polymath whose achievements in science, mathematics, cartography, literature, and the arts make him a towering figure in the popular Chinese imagination.
When ballet became revolutionary: Xue Jinghua and ‘The Red Detachment of Women’
Xue Jinghua, China's ballerina extraordinaire, cut a striking figure in red. Her role as the wronged peasant Wu Qinghua in "The Red Detachment of Women" ensured her place in modern China's cultural lore, even as she performed during a time when all creative projects were for the advancement of the collective.
From folk tale to national treasure: The story of the Butterfly Lovers
How Western music and traditional Chinese opera was synthesized to create one of China's most famous orchestral works.
What’s so funny, Yue Minjun?
"I cannot recall any event that has shaped my political views," the artist Yue Minjun has said, "but politics is everywhere in Chinese life, like the meal you eat every day." And what does Yue's art — among the most recognizable art coming out of China today — say about life and politics?
Mei Lanfang, China’s greatest stage performer
Mei Lanfang was more than just a performer with exceptional poise, a beautiful falsetto trill, and a sharp jaw-line. He helped rework the genre of Peking Opera into what it is today, an intangible cultural heritage and source of national pride.