THE INITIUM Archives - Worldcrunch

An episode of the show Fēi Chéng Wù Rǎo (If You Are The One) on December 28, 2024

A Close-Up Look At China’s Boom Of Blind Dating On Live Streams

by Miya Shen April 8, 2025April 8, 2025

Photo of man looking at his phone

Future internet freedom

Death Of Internet Freedom? How The U.S. And China Are Converging On Digital Sovereignty

by Fang Tianyin March 5, 2025March 24, 2025

File photo of Bashar and Asma al-Assad in Moscow in January 2005

Geopolitics diplomacy

Asma Al-Assad In Exile? Searching For The Real Story Of Syria’s Former First Lady

by Michelle Courtois December 23, 2024

Photo of women crossing a street in Seoul, South Korea

Women Worldwide demographics

Are We Anti-Kids? A Deep Dive Into South Korea’s Plummeting Fertility Rate

by Yu Meixia October 23, 2024

Western Plunders Of Antiquities? Challenging The New Chinese Uproar

Society culture

Western Plunders Of Antiquities? Challenging The New Chinese Uproar

by Michelle Courtois October 23, 2024

Image of two senior men playing chinese Checkers.

LGBTQ Plus lgbtq in china

My Wife, My Boyfriend — And Grandkids: A Careful Coming Out For China’s Gay Seniors

by Dan Wu October 23, 2024

Photo of a Stand-up comedian taking a bow onstage after performing at Beijing's Laughing Fruit Factory

Society stand up comedy

“Two Censors Walk Into A Bar…” Inside The Slippery World Of Stand-Up Comedy In China

by Zhang Wei October 9, 2024

photo of a monastery on a hilltop in Tibet

Geopolitics tibet

Tibet Or Xizang? Why China May Be Ready To Rename The Contested Land

by Michelle Courtois September 24, 2024

A Bitter Road Back For Hong Kong Students Arrested During 2019 Protests

In The News hong kong

A Bitter Road Back For Hong Kong Students Arrested During 2019 Protests

by Dan Wu September 24, 2024

Economy luxury brand

With China’s Upwardly Mobile, Crashing Out Of The Luxury Market

by Lin Chen September 19, 2024

Photo of police forces in Taipei, Taiwan, ahead of clashes during anti-government protests in Nov. 2020

Israel-Palestine War israel-palestine

Why Taiwan Backs Israel Even If Its Own Struggle Mirrors Palestine’s

by Michelle Courtois September 17, 2024

Photograph of an ethnic Uyghur man cooking Kebab in Kashgar bazaar.

Geopolitics uyghurs

Every Step, Every Swipe: Inside China’s System Of Total Surveillance Of Uyghurs

by Michelle Courtois September 17, 2024

photo of a man on a ladder installing a cctv camera

Future surveillance

How China’s Mass Surveillance Fuses High Tech And Citizen Snitching

by Dan Wu September 17, 2024

Debt Trap: Why South Korean Economics Explains Squid Game

In The News squid game

Debt Trap: Why South Korean Economics Explains Squid Game

by Dan Wu September 17, 2024

Photo of Taylor Swift performing at Singapore's National Stadium

Economy taylor swift

How Taylor Swift Triggered A Stadium Construction Boom In Southeast Asia

by Ye Lang August 30, 2024

photo of people in white suits working in foxconn factory in China

In The News covid-19

Escape From Foxconn: Inside The COVID Lockdown Chaos Blocking China’s iPhone Production

by Dan Wu July 8, 2024March 16, 2025

Photo of police during protests in China against covid-19 restrictions

In The News china

How China’s Mass Protest Took The World By Surprise — And Where It Will End

by Dan Wu July 8, 2024March 16, 2025

A photo of A baby joins National Celebration Day in Taipei in October

Geopolitics taiwan

A Perfect Storm Of China-Taiwan Hostility: Will It Snap In 2023?

by Dan Wu July 8, 2024March 15, 2025

Chinese catholic priests celebrating mass

In The News china

Between Xi Jinping And Pope Francis, China’s Catholics Are Still Stuck In Limbo

by Dan Wu July 8, 2024

Image showing people taking a subway train in Guangzhou

Women Worldwide women's rights

The Creepy Men Who Film Women On China’s Subways — And The Case That Sparked A Backlash

by Michelle Courtois July 8, 2024

Poster from a series showing two women and a man.

Women Worldwide sexual violence

Imperfect Victim: What A Chinese Series About Sexual Assault Can And Can’t Say

by Michelle Courtois July 8, 2024

An Artistic picture of a semi-transparent blue man walking through a town with trees

LGBTQ Plus lgbtq+

Farewell Beijing: When An Expat Musician Stood Up To China’s Morality Police

by Fan Yuxin July 8, 2024

Photo of teenagers in Taiwan

Pop And Propaganda — How Taiwan’s Teens Are Lured By Chinese Social Media

by Dan Wu May 22, 2024

How Cambodia Became The Hub Of Asia's Online Fraud Racket

Economy online fraud

How Cambodia Became The Hub Of Asia’s Online Fraud Racket

by Dan Wu May 22, 2024

Xinhua News Agency journalist Liang Jianqiang makes an interview at a temporary hospital in Wuhan.

In The News china

WeChat Or Chinese Journalists: Who Is Doing China’s Bidding Abroad?

by Worldcrunch May 22, 2024

Photo of a gender-inclusive bathroom sign on a red door

LGBTQ Plus lgbtq+

Wuhan Restroom Murder Sparks Debate Over Transgender Rights In China

by Dan Wu May 21, 2024

People walk in a Shanghai district

In The News china

In Shanghai, A Brewing Expat Exodus As COVID Crackdown Shows “Real” China

by Dan Wu May 21, 2024

Photo of Hong-Kong streets

Society sex worker

Brother Boys, The Real Lives Of Hong Kong’s Male Sex Workers

by Worldcrunch May 21, 2024March 16, 2025

'MTF' Alarm, Life Is Crueler Than Ever For Trans Women In China

LGBTQ Plus transgender rights

‘MTF’ Alarm, Life Is Crueler Than Ever For Trans Women In China

by Dan Wu May 21, 2024

Image showing Rohingya immigrants who were stranded on the India-Bangladesh border for three days being held at the Amtali Police Station.

Geopolitics china-india relations

How Beijing’s Backing Of Myanmar Sharpens China-India Tensions

by Michelle Courtois May 21, 2024March 13, 2025

Photo of a man waving a flag during the anniversary of Hong Kong Protest in London

Society immigration

Hong Kongers In The UK: The Hard Part About Political Asylum

by Chen Xi April 25, 2024

Asian Cults And Castes, Where New Religions Meet Power Politics

In The News religion

Asian Cults And Castes, Where New Religions Meet Power Politics

by Dan Wu March 12, 2024

Photo of a pharmarcist walking past shelves with medication in Yucheng, northern China

In The News covid-19

As COVID Explodes, An Inside Look At China’s Gray Market Of Generic Drugs

by Dan Wu March 12, 2024March 15, 2025

Chinese man smoking a cigarette with a solemn facial expression

Big Tobacco, Tax Windfalls: The Inside Story Of What Really Feeds China’s Smoking Habit

by Worldcrunch March 12, 2024

photo of a puddle in a street in Shanghai

What Life Is Like As A Taiwanese Living In Mainland China

by Dan Wu March 12, 2024

Street artist painting on paper

Chinese Bookstores Abroad: An Immigrant’s Link To Culture, Memory And Home

by Michelle Courtois March 12, 2024

Pedestrians walk under a vibrant archway of red lanterns on a bridge in Taipei, Taiwan ushering in the Year of the Dragon

Migrant Lives immigration

In Taiwan, Immigrants And Their Children Redefine Identity For An Island Nation

by Michelle Courtois March 12, 2024

The series Ruyi's Royal Love in Palace was slapped by the NRTA

China’s Costume Drama Television Ban Is A Political Mystery

by Laura Lin February 27, 2024

Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong

For Chinese Regime, Suicide In Hong Kong Is An Act Of Terrorism

by Dan Wu February 27, 2024

Young people pose for photos at the site of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai

Geopolitics china

Why Chinese Youth Are Still So Eager To Join The Communist Party

by Dan Wu February 27, 2024