China

The Tianshan No. 1 glacier is melting fast, receding by at least 30 feet each year. Scientists warn that the glacier — the source of the Urumqi River, which more than 4 million people depend on — may disappear in the next 50 years.

'Impossible To Save': Scientists Are Watching China's Glaciers Disappear

1:49pm October 21, 2017

by Rob Schmitz

Xinjiang has nearly 20,000 glaciers, half of China's total. They're all receding at a record pace — and will continue to melt, some scientists warn, even if global temperatures stop rising.

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Yu Zu'en stands in front of one of the few wall decorations in his new, government-issued apartment: a poster of China's leaders. The 84-year-old veteran lost his right eye fighting the Americans in Korea in 1951.

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Xi Jinping's War On Poverty Moves Millions Of Chinese Off The Farm

4:17pm October 19, 2017

by Rob Schmitz

Remote mountain villages where residents lived in poverty are being cleared, with villagers being given new apartments in the city. But finding work may be a challenge for some of the former farmers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has cracked down on corruption — and dissent.

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For Clues To China's Crackdown On Public Expression, Look To Its Economy

4:27pm October 18, 2017

by Rob Schmitz

The Communist Party has become obsessed with maintaining social stability in recent years. Rights advocates say it has to do with the country's unstable economy.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks Wednesday at the opening session of the 19th national congress of China's ruling Communist Party at The Great Hall Of The People in Beijing. The congress takes place every five years.

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China's Xi Jinping Lauds 'New Era' Of Strength As He Opens National Congress

2:46pm October 18, 2017

by Anthony Kuhn

In a speech that lasted more than three hours, Xi said, "We are closer than any time in history to realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

China's President Xi Jinping gives a speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party Congress on Wednesday.

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5 Years Ago, China's Xi Jinping Was Largely Unknown. Now He's Poised To Reshape China

11:23am October 18, 2017

China's president has embraced a strongman style of personal rule. The 19th Communist Party Congress, now underway in Beijing, is expected to strengthen his ability to bend the system to his will.

A poster in Beijing features Chinese President Xi Jinping and a slogan reading "Chinese Dream, People's Dream." Xi is preparing to embark on a second five-year term this week.

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How Will China Select Its New Leaders At Its Communist Party Congress?

1:38pm October 17, 2017

by Anthony Kuhn

Experts believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping intends to bend, break or scrap informal succession rules. He is most opposed to a rule that could hinder his ability to designate his own successor.

Staff wait at the Cambridge University Press stand at the Beijing International Book Fair in August. An international outcry ensued when the publisher agreed to block certain articles from one of its journals after pressure from Beijing. The press later r

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In China, Scholars Are Being Punished Amid Growing Squeeze On Public Expression

11:24am October 10, 2017

by Anthony Kuhn

Space for public expression has been tightening in media, the arts — and now in higher education as well. Some university professors have been fired for expressing views outside the mainstream.

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South Korea has the worst air pollution among the developed nations in the the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Armed With NASA Data, South Korea Confronts Its Choking Smog

10:38am October 10, 2017

by Elise Hu

The U.S. space agency and the South Korean government teamed up for the most ambitious study of Korean air quality to date and found the majority of the toxic air is homegrown, and not from neighbors.

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Parwena Dulkun is a Uighur model who divides her time between Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, and Beijing. Uighurs share traits from both Asian and European ancestors, a look that is in demand among modeling agencies throughout China.

For Some Chinese Uighurs, Modeling Is A Path To Success

5:11pm September 27, 2017

by Rob Schmitz

China's Muslim-minority Uighurs often face persecution and suspicion. But their popularity has grown in recent years as models. "Not to brag, but we are very good-looking," says one Uighur model.

At Urumqi's Grand Bazaar, a police officer chats with a local vendor while a video promoting China's ethnic minorities plays on a big screen overlooking the square. This was the site of Uighur protests in 2009 that sparked citywide riots, leading to the d

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Wary Of Unrest Among Uighur Minority, China Locks Down Xinjiang Province

11:43am September 26, 2017

by Rob Schmitz

Following riots and attacks in past years, residents of Urumqi, the capital of the western region, now live and work under intense surveillance, and are subject to detention after traveling abroad.

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