Featured Article
China Pulls Out All the Stops to Get People Hitched and Having Babies (July 29, 2025, Chinaskinny)
China is going to unprecedented lengths to spark romance, marriage, and ultimately, childbirth, as it grapples with a shrinking population, aging society, and a generation increasingly reluctant to have children.
Spotlight
Online Book Club (ERRChina)
We will read and discuss the book, “A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China,” by Rodney Stark and Xiuhua Wang. “Rodney Stark and Xiuhua Wang offer a different perspective, arguing that Christianity is alive, well, and on the rise. Stark approaches the topic from an extensive research background in Christianity and Chinese history, and Wang provides an inside look at Christianity and its place in her home country of China.” (Amazon)
Date: August 6
Time: 5:00 PM PDT / 6:00 PM MDT / 7:00 PM CDT / 8:00 PM EDT
Go here to register.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
Video – The Rise and Fall of U.S.-China Engagement with David Shambaugh (July 25, 2025, (Hoover Institution)
Dr. Elizabeth Economy interviews Professor David Shambaugh about his new book “Breaking the Engagement: How China Won & Lost America”, which examines the collapse of America’s four-decade engagement strategy with China. Shambaugh argues that China initially “won over” American constituencies during the reform era, but starting around 2010, these groups faced increasing obstacles in China, leading to the breakdown of the “engagement coalition.” The conversation explores the five schools of thought dominating current US-China policy debates and Shambaugh’s assertion that the relationship has shifted to “indefinite, comprehensive, competitive rivalry.”
Terminal Authority: Assessing the CCP’s Emerging Crisis of Political Succession (July 26, 2025, China Brief – The Jamestown Foundation)
Nobody knows what will happen when Xi Jinping passes from the scene. The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has spent over twelve years at the apex of the Party-state system. This period has been transformational for the People’s Republic of China (PRC), for its place in the world, and for Xi personally. One of the most important changes has been the personalization of the regime under Xi. But it will not last forever.
China is Supressing Coverage of Deadly Attacks. Some People Are Complaining Online (July 26, AP News)
Late last month, a car struck children near an elementary school in an outlying district of Beijing, according to a Chinese news report. A four-sentence police statement said a 35-year-old male driver hit pedestrians due to “improper operation” of the car. It didn’t mention the school or that the victims included children. Photos of the aftermath, which showed a half-dozen people lying in the street, were scrubbed from China’s closely controlled internet.
E.U.-China Summit Strikes Pessimistic Tone on 50th Anniversary of Relations (July 28, 2025, China Digital Times)
Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met Chairman Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang for a summit marking 50 years of diplomatic ties between the E.U. and China. The affair demonstrated just how tense their relationship has become, battered by trade imbalances, export controls on critical minerals, and Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as the unpredictability of U.S. global commitments. As von der Leyen told Xi, “We have reached an inflection point.”
Religion
Fuzhou: Pastoral Challenges (July 24, 2025, China Partnership)
Fuzhou pastors say they face many difficulties: financial pressure in society at large, depression and anxiety in children and young people, spiritual disinterest, and a lack of time and trust among people.
40-Year Bond Between an American Family and China’s ‘Amity’ (July 24, 2025, China Christian Daily)
Elyn MacInnis, the only foreign recipient of the “Touching China Person of the Year 2023” award and a winner of the second “Orchid Award” Friendly Envoy Award, serves as the convener of “Friends of Kuliang” in the United States. A descendant of Lieutenant Donald MacInnis of the American Flying Tigers, she is now in her seventies and has long dedicated herself to fostering friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. She also holds a unique role as the wife of Peter MacInnis, the first general manager of Nanjing Amity Printing Company. There, a connection between an American family and China’s “Amity” has lasted for nearly four decades.
Chinese Ministry in the UK: Reflections from the NEXT 2025 Conference (July 25, 2025, ChinaSource)
On April 26, 2025, leaders, church workers, and believers gathered at a Chinese church in London for NEXT 2025, a full-day conference centered on “connection, encouragement, envisioning, and Bible engagement.” The conference set out to explore the future of the Chinese ministry amid uncertainties and opportunities. Here are some of my personal observations and reflections from this meaningful day.
Church Planter, Led to Christ in His Native China, Now Leads Growing Dallas Church (July 25, 2025, Baptist Press)
“My personal dreams, compared to the missionaries’ lifestyle, just dwindled in size,” he said. “I felt a sense of a burden, a responsibility as a Chinese believer, that I should do something for my own country, for my own fellow believers. So that’s why I decided to go into ministry. And the missionaries, they loved on me, they discipled me. I would say my spiritual DNA about sharing the Gospel, evangelism and church planting was inspired by them.”
Encountering God in the World: Chinese Public Theology and the Call of Our Time (July 28, 2025, ChinaSource)
Around this time last year, I was preparing to attend the inaugural Chinese Public Theology Conference in Michigan. For ChinaSource, it was a special and exciting opportunity to be invited to a Chinese-language event. The gathering brought together scholars and pastors from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Europe, and North America to reflect on topics from the Reformation to artificial intelligence, war, media, and multicultural ministry.
Society / Life
In a Landlocked Corner of China, a Farmer Builds a Submarine From Scratch (July 23, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Deep in landlocked Anhui province, eastern China, a 60-something farmer called Zhang Shengwu has drawn attention by launching himself into the water — and history. Zhang, the inventor of Big Blackfish, a homemade submarine weighing over five tons and capable of diving to depths of eight meters, recently oversaw the submersible’s first successful trial in a river near to his Hanshan County home.
Translations: Train Incident Becomes Metaphor for Principled Disobedience – “Smash That Window and Take a Breath of Freedom!” (July 23, 2025, China Digital Times)
A man who used an onboard emergency hammer to smash a hole in the window of a stalled train to relieve the suffering of his fellow passengers in a sweltering carriage has become an unlikely and memeworthy hero. His small act of rebellion—in defiance of a perspiring train attendant who half-heartedly attempted to stop him—has become a timely metaphor for other forms of altruistically motivated disobedience.
Erasing Confucian Cosmology: How Harmony Lost Its Soul (July 24, 2025, The Diplomat)
Confucian cosmology once bound rulers to an order they could not command, linking virtue, ritual, and the rhythms of Heaven. This second essay in the Simulated Sagehood series explores how that moral architecture has been emptied and re-coded in China. In place of resonance, Xi’s regime installs synchronization; in place of harmony across difference, it imposes order through uniformity. What remains is not metaphysics, but choreography, an aesthetics of control masquerading as ethical order.
Questions Grow as China Mourns 6 Engineering Students Lost in Mine Accident July 25, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Calls have been growing in Chinese state media and from the public for stricter safety measures and a thorough investigation into the deaths of six university students who fell into an industrial flotation tank on Wednesday. The students, from Northeastern University in Liaoning province, were on a field trip to the China National Gold Group’s Wunugetushan copper-molybdenum mine in Inner Mongolia when the incident happened. A teacher was also injured.
China Investigates Head Monk of Shaolin ‘Kung Fu’Temple (July 28, BBC)
Shi Yongxin, the Abbot of the world-renowned Shaolin /Temple, is being investigated by multiple agencies for embezzlement, “improper relationships with multiple women” and “fathering illegitimate children”, the temple said on Sunday.
Heavy rains and flooding kill at least 34 people in and near Beijing (July 29, 2025, NPR)
A city government statement said that 28 people had died in its hard-hit Miyun district and two others in Yanqing district as of midnight. Both are outlying parts of the sprawling city, far from the downtown. More heavy rain fell overnight in the area. More than 80,000 people have been relocated in Beijing, including about 17,000 in Miyun, the statement said.
BBC visits Beijing region hit by deadly flood (July 30, 2025, BBC)
At least 30 people have died in Beijing as northern China experiences days of heavy rain and flooding. The BBC’s Stephen McDonell is in Miyun, northeast of Beijing, where authorities have mobilised the People’s Armed Police to assist in the mountain areas affected by the severe weather. China’s leader Xi Jinping has called for an “all-out” search and rescue for those missing in the floods, as almost 80,000 people have been relocated from across China’s capital.
Economics / Trade / Business
How the US and China Run the World’s Economy (July 25, 2025, National Committee on US-China Relations)
The U.S. and Chinese economies are large and interconnected, but both countries have dramatically different visions for the global economy. How is the United States trying to grow and safeguard its economic strength, and how does China position itself as both a disruptor of the status quo and a leader of a new path forward?
Labubu Retailer Pop Mart Focused on Taking Chinese Brand to the World, CEO Says (July 25, 2025, South China Morning Post)
A new wave of Chinese consumer companies, led by toymaker Pop Mart, is seeking a greater global presence, reflecting China’s strategic pivot towards exporting its brands, and not just products. “We originally hoped to become China’s Disney; now we hope to become the world’s Pop Mart,” the company’s founder and CEO, Wang Ning, said in an interview with state broadcaster China Central Television on Thursday.
Video – Jobs Wanted: China’s Struggle with Youth Unemployment (July 28, 2025, National Committee on US-China Relations)
China’s youth unemployment crisis is raising alarms. After the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s economy has struggled to regain its momentum. While low domestic demand has negatively impacted multiple industries, high youth unemployment is fueling concern among local communities. The Chinese government has implemented multiple policies bolstering vocational education, hoping to steer young people towards practical skills for a growing tech sector.
Apple Marks a Notable Retreat in China, Closing a Store There for the First Time Ever (July 29, 2025, The Economic Times)
In a significant move, Apple Inc. is set for its first-ever retail store closure in China, marking a pivotal moment in its operations within a crucial market. The company announced on Monday that its Parkland Mall store in the Zhongshan District of Dalian City will shut its doors on August 9, citing shifts in the shopping complex’s environment.
Science / Technology
China Starts Building World’s Biggest Hydropower Dam (July 21, 2025, The Guardian)
Construction of the world’s biggest hydropower megadam has begun, China’s premier has said, calling it the “project of the century”. The huge structure is being built on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, in Tibetan territory. Li Qiang made the comments on Saturday, at a ceremony in the region to mark the start of the build, leading Chinese markets to rise on the expectation of the long-planned megaproject, first announced in 2020 as part of China’s 14th five-year plan.
How China Came to Rule the World of Rare Earth Elements (July 23, 2025, NPR)
Many so-called rare earth elements are actually quite common, and they are mined globally, but China has a near-monopoly on refining them for use in everyday electronics, like smartphones and speakers, as well as for crucial defense systems, like fighter jets.
Health / Environment
Something In the Water: How Yuhang’s Smelly Water Went from Odor Incident to Trust Crisis (July 25, 2025, What’s On Weibo)
On July 16, locals in Yuhang (余杭), a district of Hangzhou, noticed something fishy about their running water. It had turned brown and smelled unpleasant. From residential compounds in Liangzhu to Renhe Street (良渚街道–仁和街道), some residents complained that their water smelled like “dead rats,” while others thought it resembled the odor of sewage, and later started smelling like disinfectant or other chemicals.
History / Culture
Why China’s Master of Ancient Armor Hasn’t Given Up the Fight (July 23, 2025, Sixth Tone)
When a unit of the People’s Liberation Army uncovered the Mancheng Tombs in 1968, it fell to Bai and a colleague, Wang Qi, to restore some of the most important artifacts, including two jade burial suits and the Changxin lamp — sometimes referred to as China’s first lamp. But it was his work on another, less ostentatious find that would define much of Bai’s later career: a bundle of heavily corroded iron armor found underneath a burial bed.
Food / Travel
China has an insatiable appetite for durian. Is it a boon or a curse for Indonesia? · Global Voices (July 29, 2025, Global Voices)
Durian, a spiky and pungent tropical fruit, can be found in many Southeast Asian countries. Its distinctive, pungent smell has led to bans of the fruit in public places in several Asian countries, but its sweet taste has also earned huge popularity across Asia. Nicknamed “king of fruit,” durian is known to be an exceptionally high-value crop. It can sell for anywhere from USD 5 to hundreds of US dollars per kilogram, depending on the variety.
Arts Entertainment / Media
Chinese Rappers Are Turning Hometown Slang Into Chart-Toppers (July 23, 2025, The World of Chinese)
Skai Isyourgod (Lan Lao) recently surpassed Jay Chou as the most-streamed Mandopop artist on Spotify, leading the charge for a new generation of rappers climbing the charts.
Smashing the News (July 28, 2025, China Media Project)
On July 15, journalists investigating consumer reports of substandard electrical cable products at an industrial park complex in the southern Chinese province of Hunan were attacked by the executive of a cable company during a reporting visit to the firm’s offices. In an altercation that was caught on video and took social media by storm, the man was shown smashing a reporter’s filming equipment to pieces.
Books
Decoding the Chinese Computer (July 30, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Lew passed away in 2023, but her story would form the basis for a crucial chapter in Mullaney’s 2024 book, “The Chinese Computer,” which explores the global effort to digitize Chinese characters. It was a problem that drew in engineers, linguists, and entrepreneurs from around the world — but also, as Mullaney points out, ordinary men and women like Lew.
Events
Public Lecture: “Christian-Confucian Dialogue in the Contemporary World” (July 31, USCCA)
At 7:00PM ET on July 31, 2025, the USCCA’s speaker series, in collaboration with ChinaSource and China Academic Consortium, will host Dr. Stephanie Wong as speaker on the topic of “Christian-Confucian Dialogue in the Contemporary World.” Click here to sign up for this free public lecture, accessible via live video.
Contexts on Bible Ethics in Context (Fuller Seminary)
SATURDAY, August 2, 2025
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Payton 101, Pasadena campus,
Fuller Theological Seminary
Pray for China
July 25 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On July 25, 1900, Wang Mingdao (王明道先生) was born in Beijing. His parents had taken refuge in the Foreign Legation to escape Boxer assaults; however, a few days before his birth, his father committed suicide. Wang was baptized as a believer on Jan. 5, 1921, a doctrinal decision that cost him his teaching position at a Christian school. He pastored one of China’s largest indigenous churches—the Christian Tabernacle in Beijing—before being imprisoned more than 20 years for refusing to join the Three Self Movement. Pray for Christians to have courage and strength in today’s challenging climate in China. “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21
Fuzhou: How to Pray (July 28, 2025, China Partnership)
The church in Fuzhou once had a great revival, with people like Watchman Nee and Wang Zai. But when I came here, I found that the house churches in Fuzhou are actually relatively weak. So, I have always prayed that the Fuzhou churches would be revived again, to be like the missionaries and spiritual giants of that time.
Jason Mandryk on Intercessory Prayer (June 29, 2025, ChinaSource)
In this month’s prayer-focused post, I want to share a Lausanne Podcast video interview with Jason Mandryk, the editor of Operation World. In this conversation, Mandryk reflects on intercession in an era of rapid change globally, as well as the importance of data in helping us pray with insight. He also reminds us we should not view prayer merely as an obligation, but as a joyous act of worship.
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Pray for China (China Partnership)