Books and Movies

Women，Seated （Riverhead Books，August2）

VuLing worksasa babysitter fora wealthy familyin Beijing.Spurred onby her boyfriend，the two kidnap her employer's young son under the guise of aspring outing.But once on the road，they discover that the family isalready under police investigation forcorruption，makingextortion impossible.On thewayback，theboybuysa goosetobringhome tothevilla，insisting itis aswan.He pitchesa tent to sleep beside it，and thus the place comes to be calledthe“Swan Hotel\"-thebook'sChinese title天鵝旅館.Aseventsspiral，Yu Ling ispushed to the edge：how farwill she go toclaim what shebelieves she deserves？Writtenby Zhang Yueran-one of China'smost influentialauthors， who began hercareerasa popular teenwriter-the novelwas first published in Chinese in 2024and isnowavailable in English in Jeremy Tiang's translation.

WOMEN SEATED TRANSLATED BY JEREMY TIANG ZHANG YUERAN

Sunbirth （GrovePress，August5）

i Lake，where the sun is slowly vanishing.With the temperature plummeting and the lake frozen solid，the town facesan inevitable end，bycold， starvation，orhopelessness.Asstrange\"Beacons\"-figureswithblinding lightas heads-begin to appear，the sistersuncovera photograph linked to theirlong-missing father.Blending surrealmysterywitha tender portrayal ofsisterhood，An Yu exploresresilienceand humanconnection inthe face oftheunknown.Bornandraised inBeijing，Anreceived herMFA fromNew York Universityand began publishing her English writing in 2020.

Spring，ummer，Asteroid，ird：heArtofasterntorytelling （W.W.Nortonamp;Company，February4）

charactersand creators.However，writer HenryLienarguesthat true diversity goesdeeper-into story structures，themes，and values.Drawingon examplesfromParasitetoThe1，001NightstotheMariovideogames，heshows how Western staples like the three-act arc and individual empowermentare not universal. Citing forms like the East Asian four-act structure and introducing Easternaluesystemsuchascollectivismpringummer，Asteroid，irdoe writersandreadersnewwaystotellstories.

Shen Zhou 13 （September 5）

hina’s first live-action documentary filmed in space，Shen Zhou 13，was shot entirely byastronauts Zhai Zhigang，Wang Yaping，and Ye Guangfu during theirsix-monthmissionaboardChina'sSpace Station from 2021to2022，which wasstillunderconstructionatthe time.ItsChinesetitle，whichtranslatesto \"Outside theWindowisthe Blue Planet，\"bettercapturesthe essenceof the film一offeringaudiencesan immersive experience of China'sspace journey through breathtaking views，glimpsesof lifeon the station，andtheastronauts' innermost thoughts.Withnoprofessionalfilmcrewonboard，director Zhu Yiran had to train the three astronauts to operate 8K ultra-high definitioncamerasand master the languageof cinematicstorytelling in under two hours.The result isan astounding success as the film currentlyenjoys a glowing 8.6 rating on Douban.

The Sun Rises on Us All （September 5）

or her portrayal of asmall-town woman in The Sun Rises on Us All， Xin Zhilei won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival this September， becoming the first Chineseactress in overa decade to doso.Though the filmhas yettobe released，the news of Xin'swin quicklysparked excitement among Chinesecinephiles.DirectedbyCaiShangjun，the filmfollowsa former couple，playedby Xinand Zhang Songwen，who，after yearsapart，reuniteina small southern town，only to be swept upby fate and led towarda tragic end. Hollywood trademagazine Varietycalledthe performance of Xinand Zhang 'outstanding in summoning the convincing chemistry of ex-partnerswhose passion haslong since soured\"and praised the actors for saving the morality melodrama from preachiness.

The Shadow's Edge （August 16）

ackie Chanmaybe China'smostrecognizable face in Hollywood，butat homehisstarhasdimmedinrecent years，weigheddownbyastreakofbox office flops.However，The Shadow's Edge，starring Chanalongside iconic Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai （The Lover，1992），has been hailedasa surprising comeback，earning over1billion yuanatthe boxofficeand receivinga favorable 8.2 outof 10 on the popular review platform Douban.In the film，Chan plays veteranofficer Huang Dezhong，called outof retirementbythe Macau police totrack downa gang of brilliant thievesledbyLeung'scriminalmastermind character，Fu Longsheng，responsible for stealing billions.- Hayley Zhao

Video Games

Dread Flats

（Ghostcase， July 11）

Afirst-pasen hntrergame，DreadFlats investigatinga1990sapartmentbuildingwherea massdisappearanceoccurred，uncoveringthe truth through explorationand puzzles.Astandout in this year'shorror genre， the game forgoescheap jump scaresin favorofpsychologicaltensionanduniquely Chineseelements，suchastornredcouplets，oldbox TVs，and Soviet-style apartment corridors. It gained international attention after livestreamers，including Twitch sensation CaseOh，showcased it live一proof ofthe game'sabilityto terrifyaudiencesworldwide. ThegameiscurrentlyavailableinbothChineseand English on Steam.

Three Kingdoms Mushouden

（NanBei Studio， June 17）

Set intg teipwitouratih peoplesuffering，ThreeKingdomsMushouden invitesplayerstotakeontheroleofeither anoriginalcharacterorafamedwarlord， like Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun，to build armies， forgealliances，orrecruit legendary generals aschaoslooms.Drawing fromRecordsof theThreeKingdoms，RomanceoftheThree Kingdoms，andmodernretellings，thegame offers a rich blend of history and fantasy. Fans of East Asian historical strategy， especiallythosewholovetheTaikoRisshiden series，will find much to enjoy in thisrelease.

Supernatural Squad

（Night Studios， January23）

MameSupeeftecmetoi since its January launch-topping Chinese gaming store TapTap's hotchartwithover9.9milliondownloadsand driving publisher Giant Network'sstock price to more than triple in just a few months.As a multiplayer co-op adventure，the gameallows players to join forceswith three othersto forman expeditionsquad andexplore ancienttombs.Alongtheway，theyfaceterrifyingmonsters unraveldeadlytraps，and retrievemysterioustreasuresto exchange forrewards.-H.Z.