China is a land of contrasts. It’s an ancient land, steeped in tradition – but at the same time it’s one of the most densely populated and technologically advanced nations on Earth. It’s a land where smog regularly chokes the…
This 100-hectare vertical urban farm will feed 24 million people
BY: SHAWNTAE HARRIS Shanghai is planning an urban vertical farm that will feed millions. The centre aims to educate people on the benefits of food sustainability. Sasaki Architects will create the 100-hectare farm that will be interactive and hands-on. The…
Beijing is replacing all of its taxis with electric cars to fight pollution
BY: ELIJAH BASSETT In China’s capital city, Beijing, tens of thousands of taxi drivers spend countless hours on the road every day, while the city – and country – faces a pollution crisis that has been seriously harmful to both the…
CHINA IS BUILDING SKYSCRAPERS FULL OF TREES
BY: NADIA ZAIDI With over 1.3 billion inhabitants, China is the most populated country in the world. It also has one of the highest rates of pollution due to its densely industrialized cities. Factories, power plants, and vehicle emissions are…
Apparently giant, wolf-sized otters used to roam the earth six million years ago
BY: PHILIPPE DE JOCAS Who doesn’t like otters? They’ve got the soft and rounded face of a kitten combined with the manic, playful energy of a youthful puppy, and the slippery aquatic grace of a baby seal to boot.…
What does coal actually do to the air?
BY: RHIANN MOORE For decades most of the world has been reliant on coal for the production of electricity, and despite widespread knowledge of the damage that coal does to the air it is still in use today. Countries like…
China scraps construction on more than 100 coal-fired power plants
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Recently China’s government urged 11 provinces to stop construction on more than 100 coal-fired power projects. The move comes as China is trying to curb the use of fossil fuels. Right now coal accounts for the majority…
China is telling poachers to fuck themselves by banning ivory trade by the end of 2017.
Not only is China literally vacuuming pollution out of the air, but they’re also making big steps towards banning all ivory trade and processing. China has recently announced that they will be banning all ivory trade and processing activities by…
In less than 24 hours, this tiny house was built for only $10,000 using only a hex key
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP Like most metropolitan cities, real estate in Beijing is expensive. So expensive that for young people moving out of their parents’ house, searching for a new apartment becomes a sad game of trying to find one close…
This artificial intelligence knows if you will be a criminal just from analyzing your facial features
BY: SAMANTHA TAPP Imagine a criminal system that wasn’t based upon the assumption of innocent until proven guilty, but rather innocent until a computer algorithm analyzes your face and identifies you as a law-breaker. No, this isn’t the next feature…
A group of animal activists is fighting to free the world’s saddest polar bear
There is something incredibly sad about animals being squished into small spaces that look nothing like their natural habitats. People claim to save animals by bringing them into captivity, but often it is evident that the animals are unhappy. In…
These are the heartbreaking stories of China’s “Leftover Women”
BY: JESSICA BEUKER In China, women over the age of 27 are referred to as “sheng nu”, which literally translates to “leftover women”. According to NextShark, respecting one’s parents is seen as the most important thing in Chinese…
This zoo lets animals roam freely, while visitors are in cages
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Chongqing City in China is home to the Lehe Ledu Wildlife Zoo. It seems like a typical zoo – Bengal tigers, white tigers and bears are just a few of the animals that visitors will see –…
China is building a Great Green Wall of trees to stop desertification
BY: DAVID LAO The Gobi Desert, a sparse, desolate and barren region inhabiting the middle-northern border between China and Mongolia. A vast canvas of cascading sand dunes and wide expanses of dry heat waves, shimmering through are works of natural…
This artist made people disappear as China’s smog problem reached an all-time high.
BY: MELISSA BOODOO As people cycled their way to work, their smog masks tied firmly over their nose, debris-filled air circling around them, an important nationwide alert sounded off. The models pose for a photo before undergoing their transformation. Photo…
Canadians are selling fresh bottled air to China – no it’s not a joke
BY: JESSICA BEUKER A Canadian company has started bottling Rocky Mountain air and selling it to Chinese consumers. The idea started out as a joke, but since then has turned into a hot commodity as the first batch of 500…
Chinese fishermen are destroying Philippine-controlled coral reefs
BY: ALEXANDRIA LEE Chinese fishermen are destroying the Philippine-owned coral reefs that line the Spratly Islands. The islands, which are surrounded by the South China Sea, house vibrant coral reefs that are becoming decimated through deliberate destruction. While the claims…
This artist vacuumed Beijing’s air for 100 days and created a brick out of China’s air pollution
BY: TREVOR HEWITT As Beijing is engulfed by its worst ‘airpocalypse’ of the year, one artist is taking to the streets to help us visualize just how bad pollution really is. For the last 100 days, Nut Brother, a Chinese…
See Tibetan Buddhists gather to achieve collective bliss in an isolated, treeless valley (Photos)
BY: MELISSA BOODOO Every year, thousands of Tibetan Buddhists, nuns and lay people gather in the mountainous area of China’s Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in a far-off town called Seda, known as Serta to Tibetans. Every ninth month of the…
China is fighting “digital heroin” by shipping Internet addicts to a controversial bootcamp
BY: MELISSA BOODOO Young men line up in rows beside barrack-style bunkbeds wearing camo uniforms. But this isn’t some sort of military boot camp, it’s a rehab centre for Chinese addicts of “digital heroin.” It is believed that 24 million…