China’s top universities both rank high globally, shape national leaders, and fiercely compete. But for Chinese students, getting in means scoring in the top 0.05% on the brutal entrance exam, making admission far tougher than it is for most international students.

China is restoring a Belgium-sized area of grasslands every year. The effort could transform both local ecosystems and the lives of traditional herders who call them home.

China just started building the world’s largest dam in Tibet, alarming its neighbors India and Bangladesh, and reigniting a century-old debate: power vs. preservation. Similarly, in the US, from Hetch Hetchy to the Klamath, rivers have long been shaped by human ambition. But sometimes, they run free again.