Featured Article
Seeking News, Making China: A Conversation with John Alekna (September 12, 2025, Made In China Journal)
In Seeking News, Making China: Information, Technology, and the Emergence of Mass Society (Stanford University Press, 2024), John Alekna explores how the rise of radio and the circulation of news transformed China’s political and social landscape. He shows how new technologies of communication created a Chinese ‘newsscape’ that linked distant regions, shaped how people understood politics and community, and redefined the relationship between citizens and the state. By tracing these shifts across the twentieth century, the book reveals how media innovation and political power became deeply entwined in the making of a modern mass society.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
Courting Berlin, Countering Brussels: China’s Twin-Track Approach to Germany and the EU (September 10, 2025, MERICS)
Since Germany’s 2023 China Strategy entrenched “de-risking, not decoupling,” Beijing has pursued a deliberate twin track, says Stefan Messingschlager: reassuring Berlin through business-friendly optics and high-level access, while pushing back at the EU level when trade defense and technology controls bite.
Beijing To Roll Out New Rules on Chinese Language Use in Ethnic Integration Drive (September 10, 2025, South China Morning Post)
China reviewed two legislative proposals on Monday as the country ramps up a drive to promote further ethnic integration through the use of standard Chinese – both the spoken and written language – among minority groups. The draft “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress”, submitted to China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, is “an urgent requirement to foster a strong sense of community among the Chinese nation and advance the construction of a unified national identity”, state news agency Xinhua said on Monday.
What Fuels Anti-China Sentiments in Uzbekistan (September 11, 2025, Global Voices)
In the first half of 2025, anti-Chinese content flared up on Uzbek social media. The allegations claimed that Chinese nationals and companies were taking over Uzbekistan by purchasing land and property and securing mining licences to extract gold. These were the first instances of large-scale anti-Chinese sentiment in Uzbekistan. They raised questions about the origin of anti-Chinese sentiments and concerns over the future of bilateral engagement, which promises to grow bigger in the coming years.
Religion
Mercy Like Jesus: Part 1 (September 11, 2025, China Partnership)
When we talk about mercy ministry in our church, what comes to mind is what Jesus himself did. In the gospel of Matthew, at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, he did three things: he taught; he preached the gospel; and he healed. These things weren’t sequential: he did all of them simultaneously, as distinct but equally important parts of his ministry. Each was crucial to Jesus.
Practical AI for Ministry (September 15, 2025, ChinaSource)
The latest ChinaSource Journal Summer 2025 issue establishes a strong foundation for artificial intelligence (AI) in ministry, covering theology, ethics, frameworks, and responsible use. As James Hwang asks, “How do we embrace its potential for the Great Commission without compromising the integrity of our message or the essence of our humanity?” This response offers practical ways to do that—showing how AI can serve ministry while we guard the center. I use AI here to mean chatbots (e.g., DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Claude).
Rural Churches Face Growing Loss of Middle-Aged Co-Workers (September 15, 2025, China Christian Daily)
Historically, rural churches had been concerned with retaining young members. Today, however, even middle-aged staff, the church’s backbone, are departing in significant numbers. […] When economic pressures, dysfunctional environments, isolation, and uncertainty about the future converge, even the most devoted individuals can become disheartened. The issue of staff loss in rural churches calls for careful reflection.
Mercy Like Jesus: Part 2 (September 15, 2025, China Partnership)
China is full of people and groups of people left behind as society rushes ahead, and there is a huge need for Christians to step in and show mercy to the vulnerable. When believers do that, they are showing all those around them what it looks like to know and follow Jesus.
A Timely Call to Discernment on Traditional Gnosticism for the Chinese Church (September 16, 2025, ChinaSource)
This article is offered as an internal reflection within the body of Christ, not as a blanket rejection of Chinese civilization. Every culture, including those shaped over centuries by Christian influence, has both strengths and weaknesses. My intention is to invite discernment about certain inherited ideas and practices that may, if left unexamined, hinder the church’s growth in truth and grace.
Society / Life
Chongqing Slogan Protest: “Freedom Is Not Something Bestowed; We Must Fight to Reclaim It!” (September 11, 2025, China Digital Times)
The slogans in Chongqing remained visible for 50 minutes, before local police gained entry to a hotel room containing equipment that had been projecting the slogans on the side of the building. They also found a note, left for them by a man named Qi Hong, who had rented the hotel room, arranged the equipment, and set the protest in motion before leaving for the U.K. with his family.
Seeking News, Making China: A Conversation with John Alekna (September 12, 2025, Made In China Journal)
In Seeking News, Making China: Information, Technology, and the Emergence of Mass Society (Stanford University Press, 2024), John Alekna explores how the rise of radio and the circulation of news transformed China’s political and social landscape. He shows how new technologies of communication created a Chinese ‘newsscape’ that linked distant regions, shaped how people understood politics and community, and redefined the relationship between citizens and the state. By tracing these shifts across the twentieth century, the book reveals how media innovation and political power became deeply entwined in the making of a modern mass society.
Living the Loop: The NPCs Bringing China’s Fantasy Parks to Life (September 12, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Welcome to Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City in Henan’s Kaifeng City, where more than 2,000 costumed actors move through the streets as “non-playable characters,” or NPCs — a term that originated in the West to describe side characters in role-playing table-top and video games but has been recast in China to describe character performers.
Economics / Trade / Business
China Is Ditching the Dollar, Fast (September 10, 2025, The Economist) (subscription required)
China’s leaders sense an epic opportunity. President Donald Trump’s erratic trade policy, gaping fiscal deficits and threats to the independence of America’s Federal Reserve risk badly hurting the dollar. It has slumped 7% on a trade-weighted basis since January, and had its worst start to a year since 1973. By contrast, China’s tightly controlled currency, the yuan, has reached its highest level since Mr Trump was re-elected in November. Foreign investors are piling in. So are many governments looking for dollar alternatives.
Mexico Acting ‘Under Coercion to Constrain’ China with 50% Tariff on Cars, Says Beijng (September 12, 2024, The Guardian)
On Wednesday Mexico said it intended to raise tariffs on car imports from China and other Asian countries from 20% to 50%, the maximum level allowed, in order to protect tens of thousands of manufacturing and industry jobs. However analysts suggested it was also designed to placate Donald Trump, who has been pressuring Mexico not to act as a “back door” for Chinese goods into the US.
Chinese Economy Slows Amid Trump Trade War and Weaker Consumer Spending (September 15, 2025, The Guardian)
China’s economy showed further signs of weakness last month as it comes under strain from Donald Trump’s trade wars and domestic problems, with factory output and consumer spending rising at their slowest pace for about a year. The disappointing data adds pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus to fend off a sharp slowdown, with a debt crisis denting the country’s once-booming property sector and exports facing stronger headwinds.
Science / Technology
Cheating Apps: China’s Latest Tech Export (September 8, 2025, China Talk)
Today, we’ll explore the differences between Chinese homework apps and the versions Chinese tech companies offer overseas. We’ll analyze their solutions to math problems (it’s a universal language!), their censorship regimes for social studies questions, and the business strategies of their parent companies in the Chinese domestic market and abroad.
For Beijing’s Foreign Disinformation, the Era of AI-Driven Operations Has Arrived (September 9, The Diplomat)
In early August, two professors from Vanderbilt University published an essay outlining a trove of Chinese documents linked to the private firm GoLaxy. The sources revealed a sophisticated and troubling use of artificial intelligence (AI) not only to generate misleading content for target audiences – such as in Hong Kong and Taiwan – but also to extract information about US lawmakers, creating profiles that might be used for future espionage or influence campaigns.
China Launches Record-Smashing Cable-Stayed Mega Bridge Over Yangtze River (September 10, 2025, South China Morning Post)
The world’s longest cable-stayed bridge opened to traffic in Jiangsu province, eastern China on Tuesday, connecting the cities of Changzhou and Taizhou and slashing the travel time from over an hour to just 20 minutes. The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge stretches 10.3km (6.4 miles) with a main span of 1,208 metres (3,960 feet). It is the river’s first crossing to carry an expressway, regular road and intercity railway, all on the same structure.
How AI Deals with Dark Thoughts (September 11, 2025, China Media Project)
According to the broader standards of political and press freedom, Chinese AI models may perform poorly. Our work at the China Media Project has shown conclusively that developers are straightjacketing their models to suit the narrow political goals of the state — with potentially global risks to information integrity and democratic discourse. But on other key safety concerns we can universally agree on, such as those around child welfare, Chinese AI may be far ahead of Silicon Valley.
Travel / Food
Feud Between Chinese Restaurant and Celebrity Leads to Change (September 16, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Xibei, a popular Chinese restaurant chain, has issued an apology for “letting customers down,” announcing that eight items on its menu will now be freshly prepared and sold on site, rather than frozen for months and reheated.
Living Cross-Culturally
Podcast – Finding Relics Among the Ruins of the Cultural Revolution – with Ian Johnson (November 22, 2024, Peking Hotel)
Liu He speaks with Ian Johnson, a longtime China journalist and the author of the recent book, Sparks, about his first experiences in China, his reflections on foreign reporting and his own career covering the country.
Official 2025 Beijing Visa, Residence Guide Drops for Foreigners (September 13, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
The Exit-Entry Administration Municipal Public Security Bureau recently released their “Welcome to Beijing: Guidance on Entry, Exit, and Residence Services for Foreigners” for 2025. The English-language guide consists of 39 pages of information related to entry, exit, visas, business and residence for foreigners in China. There are also references and pages of addresses and contact information for various entry-exit bureaus and other places that might be of interest to foreigners.
Arts / Entertainment / Media
Serving Life through Art (September 12, 2025, ChinaSource)
I first met Professor Daozi a decade ago, during the vibrant rise of Christian art exhibitions across China. Having curated a few myself, I found my heart increasingly stirred—not just to promote such work, but to enter into deeper study. When I heard that Professor Daozi was both an esteemed artist and a devoted believer, I went at once to Beijing Normal University, where his solo exhibition was being held.
Ten Years: Has the Hit Film’s Dystopian Vision of Hong Kong in 2025 Become a Reality? (September 12, 20205, The Guardian)
A taxi driver struggles to keep working as his native language of Cantonese is sidelined for Mandarin. Petty gangsters do the work of the authorities amid a violent debate about a national security law. Supporters of Hong Kong independence are jailed. In 2015, a scrappy group of Hong Kong film-makers imagined what their semi-autonomous city could look like under the increasing influence of the Chinese Communist party (CCP).
Podcast Alert: Talking Women in Music with MusicDish (September 12, The Beijinger Blog)
I’ve devoted my time in China to what you could call the sound of the underground, and it’s a never-ending journey to me because it’s a world brimming with so much talent. Here, I am talking about the stage side of things, for sure, but also about the industry at large. Women are an important part of that industry, too. Musicians, entrepreneurs, all over you will find women who are so inspiring and bring so much to the table.
Education
Facing Uncertain Future in US, Chinese Scholars Ponder a Return Home (September 11, 2025, Christian Science Monitor)
With her newly minted PhD in international relations from the University of Washington, a Chinese graduate student had high hopes of landing an interesting job in the United States. But after waves of applications and rejections, she is now broadening her search to Europe and her native China.
History / Culture
Qufu: The “Holy City of the East” That Continues to Inspire Students Today (September 11, 2025, The World of Chinese)
As 8 o’clock approaches, visitors fuss with their costumes and jockey for the best vantage point to watch and film the “gate-opening ceremony,” which will sweep them through the city wall and into the Confucius Temple, the sprawling complex celebrating the legendary teacher whose influence still shapes Chinese society today. For over two millennia, people from across China and around the world have made pilgrimages to Qufu, a county-level city in Shandong province, often dubbed the “Holy City of the East (东方圣城).”
The Glamour and the Gloom of Cabin Life for China’s Female Flight Attendants (September 12, 2025, The World of Chinese)
With many American and European airlines soon hiring “angels in the sky” to attract consumers, Eurasia posted the very first recruitment ad for air hostesses in 1937 in Shen Bao, or Shanghai News. The ad indicates that they were seeking flight attendants aged between 20 and 25 years old who had a well-proportioned figure, were between 1.5 and 1.7 meters tall, weighed between 40 and 59 kilograms, and were fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Six young Chinese women responded to the recruitment ad and, by 1938, became the first batch of flight attendants.
Books
‘Chinese Encounters with America’ Argues U.S. and China Lost Shared Interests (September 13, 2025, NPR)
In March 2000, a package from the U.S. Congress arrived at Shanghai’s Fudan University. Inside was an American flag that had flown over the Capitol — sent as a gesture of appreciation for Xie Xide, the renowned Chinese scientist who had recently died. Xie had played a key role in fostering cultural and scientific exchanges between the two countries. Stories like this are almost inconceivable today in both the United States and China, as the tone of their bilateral relations has fundamentally shifted. But in the new book, Chinese Encounters with America: Journeys That Shaped the Future of China, profiles of 12 Chinese individuals remind us of the optimism that once defined the two countries’ engagement. This optimism has faded away in recent years.
Author Interview – The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping (September 15, 2025, National Committee on US-China Relations)
The Party’s Interests Come First is the first English-language biography of Xi Zhongxun, the father of China’s current leader, Xi Jinping. It is both a story of the Chinese revolution and the first several decades of the People’s Republic of China and a personal account of developing one’s own sense of identity within a larger political context. Drawing on an array of documents, interviews, diaries, and periodicals, Joseph Torigian introduces Xi Zhongxun. He helped build the Communist base area that saved Mao Zedong in 1935, worked closely with top leaders Zhou Enlai and Hu Yaobang, and oversaw the Special Economic Zones that launched China’s reform era.
Pray for China
September 13 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
George Duncan (童跟福), a Scottish stonemason serving with the China Inland Mission, moved to Nanjing in September 1867 and became the first Protestant missionary to take up residence in Jiangsu Province. Duncan married Catherine Brown in 1871. After his death in 1873 and Catherine’s in 1877, Hudson and Jennie Taylor adopted their daughter Mary. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring glory to the Savior in Jiangsu by those who keep His commandments. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. John 14:21
Praying Through ZGBriefs (August 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)