South China Morning Post

Early 2020 should have been a happy time for Wuhan accountant Cheng Pan, whose second child – a son– was due to be born in just ten days.

Instead, Cheng was plunged into the chaos and devastation of a mystery virus that not only threatened the lives of three generations of his family but would later become known as the Covid-19, killing thousands of Wuhan residents before sweeping across countries in the world’s largest modern public health crisis.

Frantically searching for hospital beds and…

A large headless statue of Buddha was discovered in southwest China last week – and it was used to prop up a high-rise apartment building.

It is currently unknown when the statue was built, with rumors circulating that it is almost 1,000 years old. Professionals were unwilling to date the statue at this point.

The Buddha, which was discovered in the city of Chongqing, is nearly 30ft tall and is built on the surface of a cliff that is extremely difficult for the public to access.

Earlier last…

The top buzzwords in China for 2020 reflected the coronavirus fatigue and general sense of aimlessness that have plagued this pandemic-addled year.

Some trending terms also touched on social stagnation and wealth inequality.

Selected by Yaowen Jiaozi, a magazine that promotes the Chinese language, the top buzzwords included “sacred beasts,” “new wave” and “Versaille literature.” 

One word was particularly insightful: “Involution,” which describes the lack of advances in agrarian societies…

As a 20-year-old woman surnamed Zhao in southwest China lay in a hospital bed this week being treated for Covid-19, she was unaware of the simmering vitriol gaining momentum online.

Unbeknown to her, a 24-year-old man found Zhao’s personal information published on a Chinese health government website, including details that she had been to numerous bars and clubs in the two weeks prior to her diagnosis. 

With the click of his keyboard, he posted the unemployed woman’s photo, address, phone…