Featured Article
Towering History: A Photographer’s Fresh Take on China’s Pagodas (August 21, 2025, Sixth Tone)
“Pagodas are quite extraordinary,” Lin tells Sixth Tone. “You see them everywhere in China, to the point that you might take them for granted. Yet when you look closer, you’ll feel a sense of ambiguity and mystery.” Since 2017, after an almost-spiritual encounter with a Beijing pagoda from atop an overpass, Lin has roamed the country to document these stoic structures. His quest has spanned almost every region in China, comprising over 300 structures, each chosen for its cultural significance or quiet magnetism.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
A Guide to Censorship in China (August 19, 2025, Foreign Policy, China Brief)
I spent many years working inside Chinese media, both state-owned and private, and I find that many people outside the country misunderstand a key part of these institutions. So, this week, we’re taking a deep dive into censorship in China, focusing on formal publishing processes rather than social media—a topic that I’ll return to in a future column.
Serving the People by Controlling Them: How the Party Is Reinserting Itself Into Daily Life (August 20, 2025, MERICS)
Today, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is larger, better organized and resourced than ever before. CCP general secretary and president Xi Jinping’s first term in power was dedicated to centralizing power and bringing the state under party guidance. The second term focused on establishing macro-steerage over the private economy, especially big tech companies and strategic sectors. Now in his third term, China’s leader is seeking to expand the party’s grassroots presence at the lowest levels of social organization, in urban communities, private companies and villages.
China Issues Approved News Source List (August 25, 2025, China Media Project)
Earlier this month, China’s top control body for the internet and social media released its updated list of approved internet news information sources, a roster of outlets first issued a decade ago to curtail the sharing of articles and news reports by unauthorized sources — those without close Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and government ties.
Religion
Great Commission to Chinese and All Nations—How Can AI Help? (August 18, 2025, ChinaSource)
AI is not merely the next tool; it is a paradigm shift. It offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate gospel communication but also brings serious ethical challenges. This article seeks to explore this duality. AI can be a tremendous servant to the Great Commission, but only if approached with biblical wisdom, technical understanding, and a vigilant commitment to doctrinal integrity, human dignity, and the irreplaceable centrality of the Holy Spirit’s work.
Wenzhou: “It Is Difficult to Breathe” (August 21, 2025, China Partnership)
Lu Jianxi, a Wenzhou pastor, says people in his city are resistant to the gospel — and much of the reason is because the gospel sounds like someone is trying to scam them! It’s also a difficult time to minister to those who already believe. The bad economy, low levels of public trust, overwork, and persecution have combined to make life hard for young Christians who are trying to hold down jobs and raise young families.
Enduring Lessons for a Changing China (August 22, 2025, ChinaSource)
In her review of Crossing the River by Feeling for the Stones: Mennonite Engagement in China, 1901–2020, Joann Pittman highlights several characteristics of the Mennonite Central Committee’s response that merit closer reflection. The story that unfolded, comprising the latest chapter in the Mennonites’ more than 100-year history in China, offers valuable lessons about being adaptable in changing times while remaining true to one’s own character and calling.
Four Questions for the 2040s (August 25, 2025, ChinaSource)
This article is Part 1 of a seven-part series adapted from a lecture delivered at Harvard Law School on May 1, 2025, at the Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Reproduced with permission from Dr. Ruth Okediji, faculty director. This series proposes a way to think toward the 2040s by asking four guiding questions along four intersecting axes: China, the West, the church, and ideas. The aim is not to predict outcomes but to cultivate a watchful posture, attentive to how history, institutions, and thought shape the possibilities before us.
Wenzhou: How to Pray (August 25, 2025, China Partnership)
The church may have to disperse again, to go from larger gatherings to smaller ones. I hope that, in smaller gatherings, we can have stronger connections, that everyone will be clear about the purity of the faith. Make brothers and sisters true followers of Jesus and bearers of the cross.
Remembering Dr. James Dobson: A Chinese Preacher’s Reflections on Faith and Parenting (August 25, 2025, China Christian Daily)
In China, family values have long been deeply rooted, with kinship and intergenerational ties forming the core of society. Yet in practice, numerous families face challenges and confusion when it comes to education, marriage, and parent-child relationships. In this context, I first turned to Dr. Dobson’s books Bringing Up Boys and Bringing Up Girls. At the time, I was anxious about my children’s development and uncertain about how to strike the right balance between discipline and freedom. Reading his works felt like listening to the voice of a wise counselor. His words were not empty slogans but guidance grounded in biblical principles and sensitive to real-life concerns.
Society / Life
Lonely Kids, Digital Revenge: China’s Growing Teen Doxxing Crisis (August 22, 2025, Sixth Tone)
In May, China’s cyberspace regulator escalated efforts with a nationwide crackdown on “doxxing” — the practice of trading personal details and deliberately leaking private information online — after discovering widespread teenage involvement. Many participants are victims of school bullying, failed relationships, or petty online disputes.
Online Debates About China’s Train Traditions: No More Instant Noodles Or Cigarette Breaks? (August 23, 2025, What’s on Weibo)
For many Chinese train travelers, especially those going long distances and spending entire days or nights on the train, an easy instant noodle (pào miàn 泡面) meal and a quick cigarette break on the platform during a short stop are standard — even indispensable — parts of the journey. But some changes may be on the horizon. Over the past few days, heated discussions on Chinese social media have focused on the future of these train “traditions.”
The Guardian View on Rural China: Urbanites Contemplate an Escape to the Country (August 24, 2025, The Guardian)
Now Beijing is promoting “rural revitalisation”. State media run a steady stream of articles lauding city dwellers who have returned to their home towns to set up cafes or run home-stays. The expansion of transport and telecommunications infrastructure has allowed rural inhabitants to expand their horizons.
Chinese Women Exploited in Telegram Voyeur Rooms Urge Authorities to Act (August 25, 2025, CNN)
Countless Chinese women, including minors and relatives of the perpetrators, have had their photos and videos posted on the channel. Many have been insulted in the chat, often in explicit ways, according to screenshots provided by Ms. D, who CNN has agreed not to identify for privacy reasons.
In Praise of Hardship, or the Labour-Schooling Poetics of Chinese Youth (August 26, 2025, Made In China Journal)
The most deeply ingrained moral sentiment about hardship among Chinese students and workers is a celebratory attitude—one that embraces rather than avoids difficulty. This ethos is encapsulated in terms such as ‘hard work’ (努力), ‘striving’ (奋斗), ‘eating bitterness’ (吃苦), and ‘engraving bitterness’ (刻苦)—all of which emphasise both effort exerted and hardship endured (see also Loyalka 2012). These phrases reflect a positive, even honourable, stance towards suffering, framing it as something to be overcome through perseverance and moral dedication.
Economics / Trade / Business
Mini Labubus Are Coming After Your Mobile Phone, as Pop Mart Aims to Double 2025 Sales (August 20, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Pop Mart said it would be able to easily double this year’s revenue from its 2024 record sales, as it prepares to launch a mini version of the Labubu plush toy to extend its phenomenal success and conquer more hearts beyond mainland China. The company, founded in 2010 in Beijing, could double its 2025 revenue to 30 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion) from last year’s sales of 13 billion yuan, said Pop Mart’s founder and CEO Wang Ning, citing the bigger-than-imagined worldwide market for its plush toys and figurines.
The Rising Category that Foreign Brands Are Nailing in China (August 20, 2025, ChinaSkinny)
While some foreign brands have struggled in China, outdoor fashion and accessories are booming. Osprey is part of a growing list of global players riding mouthwatering growth rates in the market, fueled by Chinese consumers’ appetite for active lifestyles and outdoor experiences.
Chinese Property Giant Evergrande Delisted After Spectacular Fall (August 24, 2025, BBC)
Just a few years ago Evergrande Group was a shining example of China’s economic miracle. Its founder and chairman Hui Ka Yan rose from humble beginnings in rural China to top the Forbes list of Asia’s wealthiest people in 2017. His fortune has since plummeted from an estimated $45bn in 2017 to less than a billion, his fall from grace as extraordinary as his company’s.
Science / Technology
Would Aquinas and Zhu Xi Embrace AI? (August 18, 2025, ChinaSource)
Artificial intelligence (AI) brings unprecedented benefits and challenges. While accessing information has never been easier, the risks have also become more subtle. Yet neither outright rejection nor uncritical acceptance of AI is a viable response. AI is here to stay, but without the constant exercise of our non-artificial intelligence, our integrity (and intelligence) may be at risk.
Green Learning and the Christian Response to AI (August 18, 2025, ChinaSource)
The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in our society has received a lot of attention in recent years. As Christians, we are concerned with the impact of AI on Christianity and churches. Yet meaningful discussions should be rooted in a solid understanding of AI. This article attempts to demystify AI technologies and discern and regulate their usage.
No AI Too Small (August 22, 2025, China Media Project)
That these questions are being put to a children’s toy at all indicates how pervasive the political dimension of China’s AI safety has become. Even children’s toys, apparently, need to know the correct political line. Just in case an eight-year old starts asking the wrong questions.
Health / Environment
China Races to Build World’s Largest Solar Farm to Meet Emissions Targets (August 21, 2025, AP News)
China has been installing solar panels far faster than anywhere else in the world, and the investment is starting to pay off. A study released Thursday found that the country’s carbon emissions edged down 1% in the first six months of 2025 compared to a year earlier, extending a trend that began in March 2024.
Travel / Food
Cruising the Yangtze: Monkeys, Math Tutors, and Magnificent Views on the Way to the Three Gorges (August 20, 2024, The World of Chinese)
Choosing a cruise ship is not unlike finding a date. For a family trip with four grandparents and a child, I spent two months looking for a boat that was safe, comfortable, and reasonably priced. Over 50 cruise ships operate on the Yangtze with ticket fares ranging from 800 to 8,000 yuan, each touting all sorts of tempting perks: huge video game salons! 24-hour bar! Child-friendly!
Arts Entertainment / Media
The Changing Role of Journalism in U.S.-China Relations (August 15, 2025, The National Committee on US – China Relations)
At a time of intense geopolitical competition, journalism serves the role of bridging people and perspectives between the U.S. and China. Although journalists fight uphill against censorship and reporting on a contentious topic, they still uncover and unpack the nuances buried in stories of technology, trade, and politics. As journalism adapts to the internet and social media, more perspectives can find their way onto phones across the Pacific. Professor Zhifan Luo and Journalist Viola Zhou joined us in May and April 2025 (respectively) to discuss the evolving role of journalism in China and in the U.S.-China relationship.
‘Nobody’ Wins Alone: Four Misfits Conquer China’s Box Office (August 20, 2025, Sixth Tone)
A Chinese animation about a ragtag group of demons who pose as the legendary characters from “Journey to the West” in hopes of escaping the oppressions of life under a tyrannical king has swept the country, topping box-office charts since its release on Aug. 2. The story behind “Nobody” has resonated with many of the country’s young workers, who themselves are struggling with the pressures of professional life and yearn to break free and pursue their dreams.
Language / Language Learning
Mandarin Monday: All Your Must-Know BBQ Vocab (August 18, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
With our recent announcement of our first-ever River BBQ Fest, it’s the perfect time to brush up on your Chinese vocab for all things barbecue! In this post, we’ll be taking a look at some common menu items in both American-style and Chinese-style barbecue joints, but first, let’s start with the basics.
Pray for China
August 25 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On Aug. 25, 1984, Christiana Cai Sujuan (蔡苏娟姊妹) went to be with Lord. Cai wrote Queen of the Dark Chamber, a book recounting her amazing transformation from pampered daughter of a high government official in Jiangsu to nearly-blind Christian prayer warrior and ministry partner with missionary educator Mary Leaman (李曼姊妹). Cai wrote, “How can we (disabled) still be useful? Maybe you think people only pay attention to the educated – those with PhDs? Never mind. The Lord loves us. We can have a degree, too – a PD – a doctorate in prayer. If we will be faithful in our corner, praying for those who are on the front lines of battle, we will have a reward, too. …There is not a day that I have not prayed for China, my homeland, and the millions there who need Christ.” After leaving China, Cai and Leaman played key roles in the ministry of Ambassadors for Christ (基督使者协会-AFC). Pray for people with disabilities to see the Lord Jesus in His beauty and His kingdom that has no end. Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar. Isaiah 33:17
Fuzhou: How to Pray (July 28, 2025, China Partnership)
Jason Mandryk on Intercessory Prayer (June 29, 2025, ChinaSource)
Prayer Walking as a Rhythm of Life (May 30, 2025, ChinaSource)
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Pray for China (China Partnership)