Featured Article
Which Hot Pot Personality Are You? (June 2, 2025, The Beijinger)
One of the greatest things to come out of China is hot pot; that’s an undisputed truth. The moment you land in China, one of the first sentences you hear floating around often is, “Oh, you need to try the hot pot!” And once you do, there’s no turning back. Here are some of the different types of people you are highly likely to find at a hot pot table.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
Video – Navigating the Future of U.S.-China Relations (May 27, 2025, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations)
Sino-American competition is intensifying across economic, political, and technological realms, and opportunities for collaboration to tackle global issues such as AI governance, climate change, and public health remain elusive. From debates over trade and industrial policy to diverging visions of the global order, the world’s two largest powers are navigating a period of profound uncertainty.
Invasion of the Robots (May 28, 2025, China Media Project)
For the Chinese Communist Party, achieving the objective of external propaganda is sometimes about spreading the word about the glories of Xi Jinping Thought, or the supposed benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative — and sometimes it’s about sensational robot boxing matches.
The Chinese Student Crackdown Years in the Making (May 30, 2025, Politico)
Approximately 277,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. last year, and it remains unclear how many will lose their ability to remain in the country. Rubio vowed to “aggressively revoke” the visas and said the focus would be on people with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying sensitive subjects.
China’s Smart Cities Streets Ahead, but Same AI Challenges Apply the Word Over (May 31, South China Morning Post)
Each night in the darkest hours, a fleet of drones patrols the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, watching over potentially dodgy areas such as underground station exits and the riverside to deter any would-be criminals. The nightly routine has been operating since last year, according to a report published in April by the city’s police bureau, which detailed its use of artificial intelligence to plan patrol routes.
Religion
Wuhan: Verses for the City May 29, 2025, China Partnership)
Pastor Fan: Isaiah 41:10 is very suitable for the churches in Wuhan: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Prayer Walking as a Rhythm of Life (May 30, 2025, ChinaSource)
A friend of mine—let’s call him JD—has been working in South Asia and the Middle East for many years. During his time in a Gulf state, he began a daily discipline of walking the streets of his city, praying for its peace. In the course of a few years, he was able to cover every neighborhood. This discipline, which initially started as a health regimen, soon transformed into a powerful spiritual practice.
Chinese Christians “Looking East”: The Empirical Evidence 华人基督徒的 “东方情结” (June 2, 2025, ChinaSource)
Just recently, ChinaSource published a thoughtful reflection titled “Standing in the True Light,”1 which describes Chinese believers’ surprising draw toward the ancient liturgical traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy. Their stories resonate deeply with what I have witnessed over the past five years of researching global Chinese churches where a quiet, yet steady shift has been taking place.
From Seoul to Tokyo: A Korean Pastor’s Mission to the Chinese Diaspora in Japan (June 4, 2025, ChinaSource)
A Korean missionary fluent in Korean, Chinese, English, and Japanese, serving Chinese in Tokyo, Park’s story is a powerful testament to God’s work in diaspora and global missions today.
Society / Life
China’s Sex Industry and the Human Trafficking Crisis: A Deepening Human Rights Emergency (May 28, 2025, The Diplomat)
China’s sex industry, which is booming despite official prohibitions, reveals the deep structural and human rights issues at the intersection of economic hardship, systemic gender imbalance, and weak law enforcement. The rise in prostitution and the surge in trafficking of women – both domestic and transnational – underscore not only failures in policy but also their profound vulnerabilities faced by women within and beyond China’s borders.
Smart Earth: How AI Is Rewriting Rural China (May 30, 2025, The World of Chinese)
Only 70 years ago, farmers in China were turning to the Xinhua Dictionary for solutions to the fast-changing needs of modern agriculture. Today, artificial intelligence is helping young farmers like Wang overcome the challenges they face in a traditionally experience-based profession. As China’s countryside grapples with an aging population and increasing demands for productivity, both farmers and local bureaucrats are embracing AI to modernize agriculture and improve rural governance.
Sound of Silence: Musicians Postpone Concerts Due to Gaokao Clash (May 30, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Hong Kong pop star Jacky Cheung has had to postpone three tour dates in southern China following complaints that it was due to clash with the country’s annual national college entrance examinations. The shows, originally scheduled for June 6, 7, and 8 in Dongguan City, in the southern Guangdong province, would have coincided with the exams, or gaokao.
China’s Slow March Toward Cyber IDs (June 4, 2025, China Media Project)
The government has announced that netizens will require IDs to go on the internet. For now this is voluntary, but there are signs it will not remain that way for long.
Economics / Trade / Business
China, The US, and the Full Circle on IP Theft (May 30, 2025, ChinaSkinny)
For years, one of the greatest fears for foreign brands entering China was counterfeiting. Luxury goods, fashion labels, electronics, Range Rovers and even chicken eggs all found themselves copied and sold through grey channels, knock-off shops, or online markets. The sight of fake Gucci bags or “Abibas” sneakers on Chinese e-commerce sites was once all too common. But as Chinese brands are going global, the tide has turned. With international success comes the same familiar threat.
China Says US Is ‘Provoking Frictions’ as Tensions Flare Despite Trade Truce (June 2, 2025, CNN Business)
China has accused the United States of “provoking new economic and trade frictions” as it responded to US President Donald Trump’s claims that Beijing had violated a trade truce agreed by the two nations last month, which paused their blistering tariff war. China was “strictly implementing” the consensus of those trade talks, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement Monday, while blaming the US for taking steps that “seriously undermine” the agreement.
History / Culture
能: A Character Capable of Anything (May 29, 2025, The World of Chinese)
Imagine a modern company staffed by the Eight Immortals from Daoist legend, each with distinctive and complementary skills. If ever such a company were to exist, it would be unrivaled and unheard of—but not indescribable. In fact, the Chinese already have the perfect idiom for such a collective: 八仙过海，各显其能 (Bāxiān guòhǎi, gèxiǎn qínéng), or “Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showcasing a unique ability.”
Education
A Big Test For AI in China (June 1, 2025, China Media Project)
Held over three grueling days every June, China’s high-stakes college entrance examinations rattle the nerves of students and parents across the country. Now, efforts by aspiring college students to harness artificial intelligence to ease the pressure and improve results are rattling the nerves of the authorities — perhaps an inevitable turn in the era of AI for a rite of passage with ancient roots.
Chinese Students React to U.S. Visa Restrictions With Disappointment and Dismay (June 3, 2025, China Digital Times)
On Chinese social media, discussion about the U.S. government’s visa restrictions, especially those related to Harvard, has been trending for days. Netizens commenting on Rubio’s announcement expressed resignation and triumph, as some nationalists anticipated it would lead to an influx of talent to Chinese universities.
Travel / Food
Top 7 Chinese Street Snacks That Locals Love (But Tourists Fear) (May 12, 2025, MSN)
Stinky tofu, or “chòu dòufu,” is infamous for its overpowering odor that many say is reminiscent of rotten garbage, yet it remains a beloved snack across China. Recent data from the 2024 Shanghai Food Expo revealed that over 35% of Chinese respondents ranked stinky tofu in their top five favorite snacks, while only 8% of foreign visitors dared to try it.
Language / Language Learning
Language Log » The conundrum of singing with tones (May 30, 2025, Language Log)
This is a problem we’ve raised and discussed many times on Language Log, and I’ve always been dissatisfied with the results. With the following video, I’ve finally found a scholarly, convincing approach.
Beyond Tīng Bu Dǒng, Part 7: How to Navigate Different Types of Listening in Mandarin (June 2, 2025, Hacking Chinese)
Listening is an essential skill in language learning, but not all listening situations are the same. By recognising different types of listening situations and understanding what each requires, you can improve your chances of successfully navigating spoken Mandarin.
Books
In ‘The Party’s Interests Come First,’ Joseph Torigian Tries to Understand Xi Jinping Through His Father (May 28 2025, NPR News)
To many observers of China, its top leader, Xi Jinping, is an enigma. Scholars and journalist have tried to glean insight into his thinking by reading his speeches and writings and going through archival tape. Joseph Torigian, an associate professor at American University in Washington D.C., takes another approach through his forthcoming book, The Party’s Interests Come First — a riveting, if dense, biography of Xi Zhongxun, the leader’s father and a noted Chinese politician himself.
Arts / Entertainment / Media
Prestige or Profit? The Dilemma Facing Jingdezhen’s Artists (May 28, 2025, Sixth Tone)
In early February, Hong Yao got the news she’d long been waiting for — her application to open a stall at Taoxichuan, one of China’s most-visited ceramics markets, had finally been approved. Such an opportunity is a dream for young artists like Hong in Jingdezhen, a smaller city of 1.7 million in the eastern Jiangxi province, which for centuries produced fine china for the Chinese imperial court and is today a global hub for porcelain.
Pray for China
June 3 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On June 3, 1905, pioneer English missionary James Hudson Taylor (戴德生) died in Changsha after 50 years of service. Taylor founded the China Inland Mission with the vision of taking the gospel beyond the coastal ports into China’s interior provinces. Historian Kenneth Scott Latourette wrote that, “Hudson Taylor was…one of the greatest missionaries of all time, and…one of the four or five most influential foreigners who came to China in the nineteenth century for any purpose….” Pray for Chinese and foreign missionaries to remember that the Lord will provide for them. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:14
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Praying for China | Prayercast (January, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Pray for China (China Partnership)