China Health & Science

Stars or Weaklings? Autism and Public Awareness in China

World Autism Awareness Day has brought more attention to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China, where autistic children are often labelled as either ‘stars’ or ‘weaklings’. Although Chinese public awareness on autism is growing, there is still a lot that needs to be done to remove existing general misconceptions.

Published

10 years ago

April 18, 2016

Diandian Guo

World Autism Awareness Day has brought more attention to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China, where autistic children are often labelled as ‘stars’ or ‘weaklings’. Although Chinese public awareness on autism is growing, there is still a lot that needs to be done to remove existing general misconceptions.

April 2nd marked World Autism Awareness Day. Especially for this day, Chinese pop musician Huazi (@华子在哪儿) published a song dedicated to dads of autistic…

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Diandian Guo

Diandian Guo is a China-born Master student of transdisciplinary and global society, politics & culture at the University of Groningen with a special interest for new media in China. She has a BA in International Relations from Beijing Foreign Language University, and is specialized in China's cultural memory.

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Chapter Dive

Chinese Postdoc Death Raises Questions as Key Details Remain Missing

About a widely discussed “chilling effect”, the death of Chinese researcher Wang Danhao, and unanswered questions. (April 3 update included)

Published

5 months ago

April 1, 2026

Manya Koetse

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A Chinese postdoc’s reported suicide after questioning by US authorities became a top trending topic in China this week. Despite the widespread attention, key details remain unclear, highlighting broader concerns about the increasingly sensitive position of researchers across the US–China scientific landscape.

On March 27, news about…

Chapter Dive

The Fake Patients of Xiangyang: Hospital Scandal Shakes Welfare System Trust

Han Futao’s explosive report on fake patients and systemic abuse has triggered a heated online debate over hospital malpractices, the fragility of the welfare system, and the vital role of investigative reporting.

Published

6 months ago

February 15, 2026

Ruixin Zhang

In early February, as China settled into the quiet anticipation of the Chinese New Year, one of the country’s leading investigative journalists, Han Futao (韩福涛), dropped a bombshell report that sent shockwaves of anger across the country.

Han Futao is known for breaking massive scandals. In 2024, he exposed how tank trucks that delivered chemical products also transported cooking oil, without being cleaned. That food safety scandalsparked waves of outrage and prompted a…