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Featured Article
Inside China’s Hidden Eating Disorder Communities (April 15, 2026, Global Voices)
On Chinese social media platforms, eating disorders are no longer only discussed as health conditions—they are increasingly reframed as disciplined lifestyles, aesthetic goals, and even sources of belonging. I first encountered these communities almost by accident. Having grown up in an environment where body weight was constantly monitored and discussed, I was already familiar with the pressure surrounding thinness. In recent years, public discourse in China has further amplified concerns about weight and fitness. As a frequent user of Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform similar to TikTok), where conversations about body image are highly visible, I became curious about how far these discussions extended.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
Exclusive: US Intelligence Indicates China Is Preparing Weapons Shipment to Iran Amid Fragile Ceasefire, Sources Say (April 11, 2026, CNN)
US intelligence indicates that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments. It would be a provocative move considering Beijing said it helped broker the fragile ceasefire agreement that paused the war between Iran and the US earlier this week. President Donald Trump is also set to visit China early next month for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
China’s Definition of an ‘Evil Cult’ Is Expanding Beyond Religious Groups (April 16, 2026, The Diplomat)
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently added the Chinese group “Create Abundance” to its Victims List, identifying it as a persecuted religious organization. The designation is significant and welcome. It reflects growing awareness in Washington that Beijing continues to repress belief communities. Yet the label actually risks missing a deeper and more troubling reality: “Create Abundance” is not, in any conventional sense, a religion. For that reason, its persecution signals a dangerous expansion of China’s ideological control.
How Chinese Satellites Have Boosted Iran’s War Effort (subscription required) (April 19, 2026, The Economist)
Since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28th, China has proved careful in its support for Iran. On March 2, its foreign ministry spokesperson said the American-Israeli strikes “violate international law.” Chinese ships carrying sodium perchlorate, an ingredient potentially used in missile propellant, are thought to have arrived in Iran earlier this month. American intelligence is reported to have warned that China is preparing to send shoulder-fired rockets, the sort that could hit American helicopters and low-flying planes. Yet China has offered little by way of serious economic, diplomatic, or military aid. It has made a more indirect and perhaps more important contribution from space.
Religion
Christianity in China (September 12, 2025, Think Theology)
Christopher Harding is an expert on the modern history of East Asia, a lecturer on Asian history at the University of Edinburgh, and the author of last year’s The Light of Asia and this year’s A Short History of Japan. Here he is with a fascinating assessment of what he calls “the battle for China’s soul,” or the ongoing tussle between Communism, Confucianism, and Christianity in China.
Spirituality of a Missionary (April 13, 2026, ChinaSource)
I often find myself looking at the standard curriculum for pastors and missionaries in Hong Kong and elsewhere, and I feel a deep sense of concern. A student might complete 120 credits for a bachelor’s or 90 for a master’s, yet find almost no space dedicated to the very spirituality they are meant to cultivate in others. I wonder: when is a future leader—the one tasked with the Great Commandment—supposed to learn the practical rhythm of the soul? This is not just an academic gap; it is a practical crisis that affects the very goal of our churches.
Xiangtan: Ministry Challenges (April 16, 2026, China Partnership)
Xiangtan church leaders say recent years have brought many ministry challenges: increased persecution and pressure, economic stress, and generally hardened hearts. It’s difficult to evangelize students, and they worry they are losing the next generation. These days, both discipleship and evangelism require intentional relational ministry, and Xiangtan leaders say they must walk with people a long time before they are willing to become open to the gospel.
The Spirit/s of Chinese Christianity (April 17, 2026, ChinaSource)
During the season between the Resurrection and Pentecost, commonly called Eastertide (or the Great Fifty Days) in the church calendar, it is appropriate to reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to send soon after his reappearance. He encouraged the disciples to wait in the city until the Holy Spirit came and filled them with power from heaven (Luke 24:49). It was indeed on Pentecost that the outpouring of the Spirit came upon the early church, changing the course of the entire human history. Today, the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has become one of the fastest-growing church movements in the Global South, including the land of the Middle Kingdom.
Shared Leadership in Bible for Application (April 21, 2026, ChinaSource)
Many researchers have a keen interest in the application of shared leadership in Chinese corporations. Their studies show this Western tool has become widely used in companies and industries. I hope the framework outlined above will help to promote this important practical theology to Christian organizations so that we can explore more ways to bless the community.
Society / Life
Why Feeling Like “Factory Workers Assembling Products” Is Taking Off with China’s Youth (March 10, 2026, ChinaSkinny)
In a brightly lit studio in Shijiazhuang, dozens of young people sit silently over pegboards, tweezers in hand, meticulously placing tiny colored plastic beads one by one. Hours pass with little conversation. When finished, the beads are heat-pressed into pixel-style designs: cartoon characters, anime icons, or nostalgic gaming motifs. Participants jokingly describe themselves as “assembly line workers.” Yet many happily spend five hours or more creating a single piece.
Inside China’s Hidden Eating Disorder Communities (April 15, 2026, Global Voices)
On Chinese social media platforms, eating disorders are no longer only discussed as health conditions—they are increasingly reframed as disciplined lifestyles, aesthetic goals, and even sources of belonging. I first encountered these communities almost by accident. Having grown up in an environment where body weight was constantly monitored and discussed, I was already familiar with the pressure surrounding thinness. In recent years, public discourse in China has further amplified concerns about weight and fitness. As a frequent user of Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform similar to TikTok), where conversations about body image are highly visible, I became curious about how far these discussions extended.
Dating by Proxy: Why Young Chinese Prefer Dating Shows to Real Dates (April 15, 2026, The World of Chinese)
Over the past decade, dating and marriage-themed reality shows have prospered in China—a striking contrast with the country’s shrinking real-life marriage rate. According to a report by Enlightent, a data platform for video content, there were nearly 50 dating shows on China’s major streaming platforms between 2022 and 2024. The majority of their audiences were women in their 20s. Meanwhile, official statistics showed that the annual number of registered marriages has dropped by more than half over the past decade, from nearly 13.5 million couples in 2013 to just 6.1 million in 2024.
Has China Fallen Out of Love With Love? (April 16, 2026, Sixth Tone)
It’s a tricky time to be looking for love in China. The average age of couples marrying for the first time has jumped in recent years, from 24.9 in 2010 to 28.7 in 2020. Some of that can be attributed to rising economic standards and increased independence, but it also reflects a mindset shift among young Chinese, many of whom increasingly see long-term intimate relationships as a source of risk as much as security. What if your partner cheats on you? Harbors a secret addiction? Prioritizes their parents’ needs over yours? Or what if their love is all just an act— a way to use and manipulate you before leaving you broke and broken-hearted?
Glimmers for the Printed Page (April 21, 2026, China Media Project)
Nearly two decades ago, Li Cuili, a shopkeeper from Lishi Village, a small community in rural Henan province surrounded by fields of vegetables, cleared the shelves of her general store of liquor and other top-selling goods and stocked them with books. Li made the decision, she later told People’s Daily, after a traveling performance troupe visited the village and inspired local children to repeat crude jokes. Books, she felt, were the old-fashioned remedy—a way to restore what she called “civilized rural ways” (文明乡风). In the space she then called “Glimmer Bookhouse” (微光书苑), the books were free to borrow—no questions asked. By 2024, the collection had grown to more than 5,000 volumes, according to Legal Daily.
Health / Environment
Coal is Rising in China’s Clean Energy Transition (April 14, 2026, The Diplomat)
China’s energy transition is entering a more complex phase than commonly asssumed. While the country is rapidly scaling up renewable energy—China now leads the world in both investment and deployment—coal production and coal power investment is also increasing. This contradiction reflects a deeper structural reality: China is not moving from coal to renewables in a linear transition.
Economics / Trade / Business
China’s Youth Unemployment Crunch Deepens as Record Graduation Season Looms (April 20, 2026, South China Morning Post)
Despite China’s stronger-than-expected first-quarter economic growth, young jobseekers found little respite as March brought a rise in youth unemployment across urban areas, snapping six straight months of decline. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged up to 16.9 percent in March from 16.1 percent in February, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.
Hidden Office, Fractured Bone: Violent Resistance Behind China’s Record Food Safety Fine (April 21, 2026, South China Morning Post)
Behind China’s landmark crackdown on the e-commerce and food-delivery sectors lies a darker narrative of resistance, secrecy and violence, after regulators uncovered a vast network of “ghost” bakeries and imposed a record fine on seven major platforms. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) levied a 3.6 billion yuan (US$528 million) fine on seven platforms run by PDD Holdings, Meituan, JD.com, Alibaba Group Holding and ByteDance, with the probe revealing a hidden office, violent clashes, and an employee swallowing notes during questioning as firms desperately tried to shield data from investigators.
Arts / Entertainment / Media
How China’s Press Abandoned Its Readers (April 15, 2026, China Media Project)
In a rare post yesterday, a user on China’s WeChat platform offered a thoughtful—and cutting—assessment of the state of the country’s news environment. Responding to a recent wave of notices from newspapers about pending closures, the essay countered the idea that this trend stems from the growing irrelevance of traditional print media in an era defined by digital media and AI. The author’s core argument was that traditional newspapers and magazines in China, which from the early 2000s through the early 2010s carved out a space of relative vibrance, have not just shifted to digital—but have, more importantly, abandoned any pretense of reporting news or doing journalism.
The Online Fiction Boom Reimagining China’s History (April 16, 2026, Wired)
If you could travel back in time, what year would you choose? What would you change about history? For a surprising number of Chinese people, their answer turns out to be the same: Use what they know today to save China from its unglorious past.
Language / Language Learning
The Best Time to Start Learning Chinese Is Now: A Guide for Expats (April 20, 2026, Hacking Chinese)
I’ve talked to many expats who have lived in China for years without learning much beyond basic greetings and some commonly used words and phrases, and many feel bad about the fact that they don’t know more Chinese. If you’re such an expat, this article is for you. Try not to feel too bad about the situation. As I said above, you don’t learn Chinese simply by living in China. Sure, some things are easier if you live in China, but that assumes that you seek out these opportunities!
Science / Technology
Tired of Waiting for Your EV to Charge Up? One Chinese Company Has a Novel Solution (April 18, 2026, NPR)
Take a road trip in an electric car, and you know the juicing up routine. You pull off the highway, park at a charging station, plug in the car…and wait. If you’re lucky, it’s about half an hour. Sometimes, it’s longer. In China, one company can get you back on the road in minutes. I had the opportunity to see how, with Jason Wu, an executive at NIO Power, an EV maker.
History / Culture
The Pagoda Puzzle: What Can Save China’s Oldest Wooden Tower? (April 21, 2026, Sixth Tone)
The Wooden Pagoda of Ying County, in China’s northern Shanxi province, is the tallest and oldest all-timber pagoda in the world. It has stood for nearly 1,000 years, held together solely by 80,000 mortise-and-tenon joints. However, time has not been kind. Today this national treasure is in critical condition—and its restoration has ignited considerable debate among academics and netizens.
Events
ChinaSource Connect
Join us for ChinaSource Connect, a virtual gathering to hear timely updates on the church in China, engage in informed prayer, and connect with a global community. The event includes guided prayer and optional breakout discussions.
Date: Thursday, April 30
Time: 7:00 PM CT (8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT), UK: 1:00 AM (next day), Taipei / Beijing / Hong Kong: 8:00 AM (next day)
Location: Hosted on Zoom
To Register for ChinaSource Connect, click HERE
You are welcome to submit questions in advance to [email protected].
Online Book Club (ERRC)
The next book for ERRC’s online book club discussion will be Other Rivers: A Chinese Education, by Peter Hessler. More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China’s economic boom, an experience chronicled in his book River Town, Peter Hessler returned to Sichuan Province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s. By reconnecting with these individuals—members of China’s “Reform generation,” now in their forties—while teaching current undergrads, Hessler gained a unique perspective on China’s incredible transformation.
The discussion will be facilitated by Joann Pittman from ChinaSource. Grab the book and start reading today! Check out the ERRC website for more details and a registration link.
Date: Wednesday, May 13
Time: 5PM PDT / 8PM EST.
Conference: Nourishing Trust and Friendship: Following the Way of Christ (United States – China Catholic Association)
Join us for the 30th Biennial Conference of the US-China Catholic Association.
Dates: July 31–August 2, 2026
Location: University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX
Opportunity
Invitation to Lead GoLiveServe into Our Next Chapter (Go Live Serve)
The Board of GLS is beginning the search for our next Executive Director. We invite you to join us in prayer and to share this opportunity with those who may be called. GLS warmly invites visionary leaders to take our organization into an exciting new season of growth and impact. For 35 years, we have been a pioneer in bi‑vocational (aka tentmaking) mission. As we look ahead, we are seeking a leader who will bring spiritual depth, strategic insight, and relational wisdom to our community. Building on our strength, this leader will take our ministry across Asia and the Middle East in collaboration with global partners.
Location: US‑based
Contact: [email protected]
www.goliveserve.org
Pray for China
April 24 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On April 24, 1562, Paul Xu Guangqi (徐光啓) was born in Shanghai. Xu met Matteo Ricci (利玛窦) in 1600 and was baptized as a Roman Catholic three years later. In the following 30 years he became a prominent government official, scientist, and advocate for Catholic missions. Pray for officials to trust not in possessions but in the Lord God. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7
Activating Prayer for China (February 23, 2026, ChinaSource)
Prayer 2026: Off the Beaten Path (January 1, 2026, China Partnership)
Praying Through the ChinaSource Journal (October 13, 2025, ChinaSource)
Praying Through ZGBriefs (August 29, 2025, ChinaSource)
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Prayer Walking as a Rhythm of Life (May 30, 2025, ChinaSource)
A Responsive Prayer for Persecuted Christians in China (ChinaSource)