For some in China, nostalgia for the 1990s may simply be a longing for a better life. But there is also great frustration about politics in the country today Illustration: Cornelia Li

China averages nearly 100m riders a day on its metro systems, about half of the world’s total. Crimes, big or small, are vanishingly rare on them. But the layer upon layer of safety at the country’s stations is overkill Illustration: Cornelia Li