The World of Chinese (TWOC) is an online and print publication based in Beijing. Our mission is simple: Help our audience better understand modern Chinese society.

Since 2006, TWOC has been committed to telling in-depth, human-centered stories about Chinese society, culture, and language. Our reporting goes beyond clickbait headlines and oversimplified political narratives. We tell China stories that are recognizable to the people living here.

We don’t report on alienating geopolitical rivalries or macro-economic data. Instead, our stories cover pop culture trends, hidden histories, social evolutions, language and dialects, and much more.

We believe TWOC is the best resource for understanding China and the experiences of Chinese people living through the country’s rapid changes. Our work has been recognized with awards from the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) and the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

TWOC is part of The Commercial Press, China’s oldest publishing house.

Our Purpose

• Help our audience better understand modern Chinese society and culture
• Explore stories that go beyond simple binary narratives and provide our audience with a rich and nuanced picture of life in China
• Tell human stories that foster cross-cultural understanding and empathy
• Provide content that is rigorous, accurate, and fact-checked

Our Content

Our award-winning 120-page print magazine is published quarterly. Here, you’ll find a selection of our best reporting from the last three months lovingly designed and illustrated in high-quality paper form.

The Middle Earth podcast is your best source of insight into China’s culture industry. Host Aladin Farré talks to industry insiders and creatives producing content in the world’s second-largest cultural market. You’ll hear from fashion designers, movie producers, web novel writers, patriotic influencers, and many more.

Our short videos and documentaries showcase Chinese culture and trends. From explainers about traditional solar terms to tutorials on internet slang and introductions to Chinese cuisine, you can find our videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Our Commitment

We recognize that much China reporting these days includes misinformation and lazy reporting. That’s why our small team takes the time to fact-check our content to ensure its accuracy.

We do not accept or publish any content written by ChatGPT or other AI models. We sometimes use AI for image generation and design. We always clearly label where AI has been used.