Developing stories from China, in English.

News & Politics

'Eating the Last of the Line': the Unwritten Grading System in China's Nursing Homes

A long essay explaining two pieces of Chinese nursing-home slang has been read millions of times over the holiday: 吃绝户, 'eating the last of the line,' the quiet downgrading of care for residents whose families rarely visit, and 翻床率, 'bed-turnover rate,' the churning of beds for revenue. With 323 million citizens over 60 and roughly two million in institutions, the essay's closing demand — that a bed, a hot meal and an answer to the call button should not come in grades — is the argument now running through China's social feeds.

Tech

Fifteen Days After the 'Divorce,' Huawei and Seres Sign a New Five-Year AITO Deal

Huawei and Seres, the Chongqing automaker behind its flagship AITO brand, signed a new five-year cooperation in Shenzhen on September 30 — fifteen days after announcing a restructuring that looked, to China's internet, very much like a divorce. The new deal keeps AITO under Seres's operational control while Huawei supplies technology and its store network, and the speed of the reconciliation has turned the pair's business arithmetic into the week's most-read corporate story.