ZGBriefs | February 9, 2023
On a Spring Roll (February 4, 2023, The World of Chinese) Spring rolls are considered a classic Chinese food, but did you know they actually come in many varieties across the country?
ZGBriefs
A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
Latest
ZGBriefs | February 2, 2023
Video: China’s New Civil Religion (February 1, Center for Religion and Culture, Fordham University) How is the Chinese government combining patriotism with local faiths? Can authoritarianism and religious life coexist? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, Ian Johnson, discusses these questions and more.
ZGBriefs | January 26, 2023
Frontline Wuhan: the first city struck by Covid-19 learns its lessons (January 25, 2023, South China Morning Post) Emergency doctor Ai Fen was one of the first in the world to see the effects of the new coronavirus and has just coped with latest wave. The city’s healthcare system was better prepared this time and handled the rising cases with ease, but there is still room for improvement.
ZGBriefs | January 18, 2023
China's population falls for first time since 1961 (January 17, 2023, BBC) The population in 2022 - 1.4118 billion - fell by 850,000 from 2021. China's birth rate has been declining for years, prompting a slew of policies to try to slow the trend. But seven years after scrapping the one-child policy, it has entered what one official described as an "era of negative population growth".
ZGBriefs | January 12, 2023
Xi’s China, Christ’s Kingdom, and a Suffering Church: Review: ‘Faithful Disobedience’ by Wang Yi (January 11, 2023, The Gospel Coalition) The rich analysis of China’s house church and its theology contained in this collection offers precious insights into one of history’s most remarkable Christian movements.
ZGBriefs | January 5, 2022
Confucius, the Buddha, and Christ - Book Review (January 4, 2022, Global China Center) In this book, Covell tries to analyze outstanding attempts to “bring the Christian faith and Chinese culture together,” and the focus “is on the shape and nature of the message that has been preached in China – the gospel in Chinese.
ZGBriefs | December 29, 2022
China says it will resume issuing passports and visas as virus curbs ease (December 28, 2022, NPR) The agency said it will take applications for ordinary visas and residence permits. It said the government will "gradually resume" allowing in foreign visitors and gave no indication when full-scale tourist travel from abroad might be allowed.
ZGBriefs | December 22, 2022
Expatriates Serving in China’s New Era: Recent Developments, Future Prospects (December 12, 2022, ChinaSource Quarterly) It is important to recognize that China today is not closed to expatriates. On the contrary, China still needs, and indeed welcomes, foreigners to work in many sectors of Chinese society. Under Xi Jinping’s leadership, China has, however, adjusted its regulatory processes and shaped the worldview of its officials in order to ensure that only the “right” kinds of expatriates are allowed to reside in China.
ZGBriefs | December 15, 2022
Facing Challenges, Chinese Churches in Europe Look to the Future (December 9, 2022, Christianity Today) The lack of churches to worship at isn’t the only problem that Chinese Christians are facing. Many Chinese churches in Europe are also trying to overcome challenges such as a “hometown association” mentality, a commercialist attitude toward church life, and difficulties in transmitting the faith to the younger generation.
ZGBriefs | December 8, 2022
China abandons key parts of zero-Covid strategy after protests (December 7, 2022, BBC) China is lifting its most severe Covid policies - including forcing people into quarantine camps - just a week after landmark protests against the strict controls. People with Covid can now isolate at home rather than in state facilities if they have mild or no symptoms.
ZGBriefs | December 1, 2022
Amid China’s Rare Protests, Christians Wrestle With Their Role (November 30, 2022, Christianity Today) Two areas all these Chinese Christians agreed on: The importance of prayer for the country, the government, and its people, as well as the urgency of evangelism in a time of crisis.
ZGBriefs | November 17, 2022
‘This job is urgent’: Chinese team hopes AI can save Manchu language from extinction (November 14, 2022, South China Morning Post) A research team in northeastern China say they are using artificial intelligence to save the language of the Manchu people, an ethnic minority group that ruled China for more than 200 years until the early 20th century. […] But fewer than 100 people – all of them elderly residents of remote villages – can speak and write Manchu with native fluency today, according to government data.