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Iris Ye
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Can “Small AI” Deliver Big Economic Gains?
A new World Bank report argues that developing economies don’t need to chase the frontier — affordable, targeted AI tools for teachers, farmers, and clinicians could unlock far more value than the race for bigger models.
WayV and THE EITHER Bring New Sounds of Chinese Music to Central Park
Mandarin lyrics rang through Central Park as fans from different cultural backgrounds sang along with WayV at a free SummerStage concert showcasing the changing sounds of contemporary Chinese music.
Entertainment · Iris Ye · August 4, 2026
Carved in Chongqing, Reimagined in New York
A Manhattan exhibition brings the Dazu Rock Carvings — ancient Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian reliefs embedded in Chongqing’s hillsides — to New York through interpretation rather than relocation, exploring how an immovable UNESCO World Heritage site can still travel.
At The Met, Chinese Artifacts Become a Living Cross-Cultural Conversation
A new installation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art places more than 100 works in porcelain, jade, metalwork, and silk in dialogue across a thousand years — asking what everyday objects reveal about Chinese society, and what it means to encounter them in New York.
Can Public Land Help Build a More Affordable New York?
Hunter’s Point South is set to gain nearly 1,000 homes, a child-care center, and a public pool on city-owned land — an experiment in whether government property can anchor mixed-income communities without displacing the people who already live there.
Real Estate · Iris Ye · July 29, 2026
When Satellites Become Shared Eyes on a Changing Planet
A hummingbird-shaped radar image of East Antarctica introduces NISAR, the joint NASA-ISRO satellite whose newly public data offers a model for international cooperation on a warming planet.
Can New York Turn Subway Heat Into Clean Energy?
New York City, New York State, and the MTA are studying a Thermal Energy Network at the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and Chambers Street station complex — a first for any U.S. transit system — that would capture underground heat and redirect it to warm nearby buildings in winter.
Can More Capital Solve America’s Housing Affordability Crisis?
JPMorganChase is committing $750 billion to housing through 2035. But with 3.7 million units still missing from the market, the question isn’t whether the money is there—it’s whether it can build its way out of a supply problem.
Decoding the Past: The Met Explores the Hidden Meanings of Chinese Decorative Arts
At The Met, more than a hundred objects in porcelain, jade, lacquer and silk reveal that Chinese decorative arts were never simply decoration.
Polysilicon: The Hidden Link Between America’s Solar and Chip Industries
New White House trade measures targeting polysilicon — the ultra-pure material behind both solar panels and semiconductor chips — expose a difficult tension at the heart of America's industrial strategy.
As Dining Costs Rise, New York’s Restaurant Week Puts Value on the Menu
During one of New York's most expensive summers for dining out, more than 600 restaurants are offering set-price lunches and dinners — and revealing just how much strategy sits behind a seemingly simple fixed price.
Global Oil Demand Is Falling — But Not Because Supply Is Abundant
Global oil demand is declining in 2026 — but not because supply is plentiful. Constrained shipping routes and surging prices are destroying consumption even as inventories plunge below seven-year lows.
NYC Pension Funds Returned 13%. Here’s What Drove the Gains
New York City’s five public pension funds beat their 7% actuarial target as strong equity markets lifted combined assets to $326.3 billion.
Women’s College Volleyball Is Ready for a Bigger Stage. The Fans Are Already There.
Record crowds and expanded national broadcasts are giving women’s college volleyball the kind of marquee stage long enjoyed by major college sports.