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As the Year of the Dragon dawns, many Chinese wish for a better economy

Feb 9, 2024
Asking people in China about their Lunar New Year wishes, the talk inevitably shifts to the economy.
A vendor in Shanghai sells plush toys for the Year of the Dragon.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

In Shanghai, vacant storefronts abound, but it's still a struggle to find space

Jan 9, 2024
China's housing bubble has popped, and the commercial property market is going through a rough patch.
For lease signs are posted on an empty Shanghai coffee shop. The commercial property market is going through a transition after the city's severe pandemic lockdown.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

One man's crisis of confidence in China

Oct 2, 2023
China’s economy has not been recovering as fast as hoped for after the zero-COVID policy ended, partly due to a lack of confidence.
A bustling market in China's Liaoning province. China's economy has not rebounded as quickly as anticipated, partly because of a lack of confidence among its people.
STR/AFP via Getty Images

Why China's economic rebound has fallen short of expectations

Aug 7, 2023
After China lifted its zero-COVID policy, economists expected the economy to come roaring back. That hasn't quite happened.
Consumers saddled with debt after China's housing bubble burst are less inclined to go on spending sprees.
Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images

Reviving China's rural economy, one peach tree at a time

Jul 25, 2023
Chinese officials have pushed for young entrepreneurs to return and revitalize the countryside, but the task is complex.
Liu Pingfu dreamed of working in the big city when he was young, but is keen to return to the countryside.
Christian Petersen-Clausen for Marketplace

Fading job prospects discourage younger Chinese workers

May 17, 2023
China's job market remains competitive as the economy recovers from zero-COVID. But some young people have lost their eagerness to compete.
Students at a job fair in Beijing last year. Unemployment among graduates has remained stubbornly high even though China has dismantled its zero-COVID policy.
Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images

Some struggle economically as China's 20th Communist Party Congress begins

Oct 14, 2022
Under President Xi Jinping, tech and real estate oversight has tightened, while the private tutoring sector has been flattened.
A sign celebrating the Chinese Communist Party's 100th anniversary sits prominently in a commercial center in Shanghai in 2021.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

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IMF predicts China's 2022 growth will be less than half of what it was last year

Oct 13, 2022
Here's what's behind the sobering forecast for the world's second-largest economy.
Cargo containers stacked at a port in Lianyungang in China's eastern Jiangsu province.
Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images

China's troubles at home weigh on growth

Oct 18, 2021
Energy problems, supply chain woes and a shaky real estate sector are slowing down Chinese GDP growth.
A view of the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai.
Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Mall economics: How to get consumers in China to shop in stores

Sep 22, 2021
More people are purchasing online but one mall in Shanghai is able to pull young consumers back into stores.
Yolanda Yu (left) and Yilina Li are willing to take a trip to TX Huaihai mall just for a particular bubble tea brand that appeared in singer Jay Chou's music video.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace