ZGBriefs | September 22, 2016

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ZGBriefs is a compilation of news items gathered from published online sources. ChinaSource is not responsible for the content, and inclusion in ZGBriefs does not equal endorsement. Please go here to support ZGBriefs.

Featured Article

Being Christian in China's Jerusalem (September 18, 2016, BBC)
Danny Vincent travels to Wenzhou to meet Pastor Zhang, an illegal pastor in one of the thousands of underground churches that serve the millions of Chinese Christians. However, he also meets a pastor from a government registered church who defends the crosses being taken down and how he says the real reasons that crosses are demolished is because they are illegally built and not because the Chinese government is so concerned about the meteoric rise in the faith.

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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Hong Kong’s elections: Testing democratic reform in China (September 14, 2016, Brookings)
In this episode of “Intersections”, Richard Bush, senior fellow and director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies (CEAP), and Cheng Li, senior fellow and director of the John L. Thornton China Center, discuss the recent elections in Hong Kong, what its one country, two systems governance policy means for its relationship with China, and democratic reform movements there and in Taiwan.

Kevin Garratt free after high-stakes negotiation with China (September 15, 2016, The Globe and Mail)
The sudden release of a Canadian held for two years in China on suspicion of spying comes after a high-stakes campaign to secure his freedom, including an unusual and unannounced visit four months ago by the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who met with Chinese officials to try to persuade them that Kevin Garratt wasn’t a spy.

The Civilized Village (September 15, 2016, China Media Project)
Wukan seemed to be an illustration, moreover, of the responsiveness of the Party leadership. But few asked the tougher questions about this supposed new paradigm of civilised governance at the village level — not least how such a civilized village could resolve its thorny land issues as an uncivilised and hostile Communist Party bureaucracy loomed overhead. The news cycle moved on. Villagers returned to their fishing boats. Wukan was forgotten.

Obama’s Asia Legacy: A China in the World Podcast (September 16, 2016, China File)
In this podcast, Paul Haenle and Michael Green, former senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, analyze the successes and failures of Obama’s “pivot to Asia” and what approaches the next administration could take to solve ongoing issues, such as tension in the South China Sea, Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and North Korea’s continued nuclear development.

13 Questions on the Implementation of the Foreign NGO Law (September 19, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Seeking clarification on how the law will be implemented, the delegation from the European Chamber of Commerce posed 13 questions.

Religion

Returning to China with a Degree and a New Faith (September 16, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
At one of the lunches, a student who had come to faith in Christ while she was pursuing a PhD at Wash U, mentioned that she was concerned about returning to Xi’an after she graduated. None of her family are Christians; she didn’t know any Christians in China; and she was uncertain what it would be like to be a Christian back in her hometown. Returning to China as a new believer in Christ was a daunting prospect for her.

A Conversation with a Rural Preacher (Part 2) (September 20, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
How can the rural church be innovative in training in light of training context and context of a new era?

China’s Missing History (September 21, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
A wealth of scholarship on the history of Chinese Christianity has emanated from Asia during the past 50 years. Yet, although significant work on Christianity’s past is taking place in academic circles—including among mainland scholars—many Christians in China today are largely unaware of the rich history of the gospel in their own nation.

How will China regulate religion? (September 21, 2016, East Asia Forum)
On 8 September 2016, the State Council released a draft of the new ‘Regulations on Religious Affairs’, which was actually a revision of the 2005 law of the same name. When the two laws are placed side by side, the consistent trends — and the new directions — to China’s religious policy quickly emerge.

The Vatican, China, And Evangelical Prudence (September 21, 2016, First Things)
Recent remarks by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, have fueled speculation about a possible exchange of diplomatic representation between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China. Unfortunately, the cardinal’s remarks did not address any of the serious questions that have been raised about the evangelical and prudential wisdom of such an agreement at this moment in history.

Society / Life

The Twilight Of Shenzhen’s Great Urban Village (September 16, 2016, Foreign Policy)
The planned destruction of Baishizhou will impact its roughly 150,000 residents, many of them recent migrants looking for a new life in one of China’s most prosperous cities. But it also stands to erase a neighborhood whose dynamism rivals that of any in the world. Baishizhou is a labyrinthine dream on 0.23 square miles of mixed-use residential space, with a population density more than 20 times the city average.

Typhoon kills at least 11 in China and Taiwan; another on the way (September 16, 2016, Reuters)
The world's strongest storm this year killed at last 10 people in China when it hit the southeast coast, the government said on Friday, as rescuers scoured flooded streets and work crews struggled to restore power to more than a million homes. Typhoon Meranti had largely dissipated by Friday afternoon, a day after it swept in from the Pacific Ocean, clipping the southern tip of Taiwan, and making landfall near the Chinese port city of Xiamen, in Fujian province.

The plateau, unpacified (September 17, 2016, The Economist)
Core features of Tibetan culture are in flux. Monasteries, which long ago played a central role in Tibetan society, are losing whatever influence China has allowed them to retain.

Mother Kills Her Children And Herself; Chinese Bloggers Ask Why (September 19, 2016, NPR)
An impoverished young mother from China's Gansu province killed her four young children and herself. Her husband later killed himself as well. The murder-suicide case has gone viral on Chinese social media, as commenters wonder if the family's poverty contributed to the turn of events.

How Families Shape the Migrant Worker (September 19, 2016, Sixth Tone)
Although the majority of mainstream studies in factories will ignore the influence the family has on a migrant worker, their situation at home greatly affects their work life and psychological well-being.

Two expat women in Beijing attacked by mentally unstable Chinese woman with a meat cleaver (September 19, 2016, Shanghaiist)
According to The Beijinger, the attacks took place in an area north of Beijing's popular Sanlitun district. As one Jamaican woman was walking on the street just after leaving church on Sunday morning, she was approached by a middle-aged Chinese woman. "Do you speak Chinese?" the woman asked in Mandarin, before suddenly pulling out a meat cleaver and slashing at the Jamaican woman.

Chinese web users discuss hitches to getting married (September 20, 2016, BBC)
Chinese social media users have been expressing doubts about the institution of marriage, prompted by a post on a popular Sina Weibo account about a New York Times report saying Chinese people were increasingly disinclined to get hitched.

Beijing: What life is like in China’s rapidly growing capital city (September 20, 2016, The Washington Post)
Beijing is known for the Forbidden City, ancient temples, Olympic stadiums and unforgiving pollution. It also has some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Residents have begun moving farther and farther out to find affordable housing, even if it means brutal commute times or overcrowded subway rides.

Beijing Scraps Urban-Rural Hukou Distinction (September 20, 2016, Caixin Online)
Beijing has ended the distinction between urban and rural residents in the city's household registration system, giving both groups access to the same level of public services, but analysts said it may not immediately narrow the gap between city and countryside. The decision announced on Monday will affect 2.9 million residents categorized as agricultural workers.

Scavengers solved Beijing’s trash problem for years, but now their business is fading (September 21, 2016, Global Times)
Big Chinese cities like Beijing still lack an effective official garbage sorting system. Instead, thousands of tons of reusable trash are recycled by an army of scavengers. While making the cities look clean, these migrant workers haven't seen their livelihoods improve over the decades, and economic pressure is forcing many to quit the industry.

In a Parched Corner of Xinjiang, Ancient Water Tunnels Are Running Dry (September 21, 2016, The New York Times)
Although scientists say global warming has shrunk the glaciers that feed the elaborate irrigation system, the more immediate threat is the soaring demand for water from the petroleum drillers and industrial-scale farmers, who are sucking the Turpan Basin dry.

‘Little Pinkos’ and the Problem of Patriotism in China (September 21, 2016, Sixth Tone)
The little pinkos’ aggressive actions and their voluntary subordination of the individual in deference to the state have brought them into conflict with many liberal intellectuals who hold that the well-being of the individual is of greater importance than the good of the country.

Inside China's ghost towns: 'Developers run out of money' (September 21, 2016, Al Jazeera)
With the Chinese economy faltering, entire neighbourhoods have become ghost towns, industrial companies sit idle and the unemployed are growing desperate.

Four things to know about shanzhai, the changing art of the Chinese knockoff (September 21, 2016, supChina)
In China, if the price of a mobile phone from Apple, Nokia or Samsung isn’t to your liking, you can pay much less for a “Hi-Phone” or get yourself a device branded “Nckia” or “Sumsung.” Knockoff gadgets such as these are part of the Chinese phenomenon known as shanzhai, a widespread grassroots movement of Chinese tinkerers, creators and regulation-evading small manufacturers who, depending on your perspective, are engaged in refining, stealing or improving products and concepts from well-known brands, many of them foreign.

Economics / Trade / Business

China's Housing Gets Scarily Expensive (September 15, 2016, Bloomberg)
China's homeowners have come to see near double-digit real-estate returns as a birthright, a bet on par with death and taxes. According to one study, more than 70 percent of Chinese household wealth is in housing. Investors believe there's an implicit guarantee that the government won't let home prices drop, even as many buildings sit empty.

China Employee Discipline: Your Rules and Regulations are Just a Starting Point (September 18, 2016, China Law Blog)
Your Chinese-language Rules and Regulations need to be a lot more than just a mere translation of the employee manual you use in the United States, Australia and/or Europe. It needs to be tailored for your China employees in your business.

China's debt crisis: Just how bad is it? (September 19, 2016, BBC)
A full blown banking crisis in three years' time. The warning from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) certainly sounds dire, and it should be taken seriously – but don't forget China's banking system is still relatively well protected because it is largely state controlled.

‘Ghost Drivers’ Plague Uber China (September 19, 2016, Sixth Tone)
With profile photos that look like they’ve just stepped off a horror movie set, the ghost drivers scare passengers into cancelling their trip, meaning they will owe the driver a few yuan for their troubles.

Eight Keys for Navigating China’s Employment Laws (September 20, 2016, China Law Blog)
It is far cheaper in the long run to avoid China employment law problems than to have to deal with one that has arisen. If you follow the following eight rules, your chances of having a China employment problem will markedly decrease.

Martha Stewart's Chinese Dream (September 20, 2016, Bloomberg)
As China's emerging middle class moves into cities, Chinese kitchens and tastes are changing, providing Stewart an unlikely opportunity to both educate and make a profit.

New Kind Of ‘Pengci’? Chinese Users Cook Samsung Galaxy Note 7 To Make Battery Explode (September 20, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
Pengci (碰瓷) is a widespread fraud in China that involves deliberately crashing cars and then wanting compensation. Something similarly seems to be happening with the incidents of exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 batteries in China.

Education

For U.S. Minority Students In China, The Welcome Comes With Scrutiny (September 17, 2016, NPR)
Wood says that never before in his life has he been so closely examined or forced to explain himself to others. This experience, he says, has given him a stronger awareness of his identity.

Rote Learning School Leaves Bad Memories (September 19, 2016, Sixth Tone)
As a young teenager, Dong Ruoqi was able to recite the Bible as well as Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” all in English. She didn’t understand a single word, however, and wouldn’t have been able to introduce herself in the foreign language.

Science / Technology

China's Tiangong-1 space station 'out of control' and will crash to Earth (September 20, 2016, The Guardian)
Chinese authorities confirm the eight-tonne ‘Heavenly Palace’ lab will re-enter the atmosphere sometime in 2017 with some parts likely to hit Earth

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Uyghur Rapper Reps China’s West (September 16, 2016, Sixth Tone)
AThree, who raps exclusively in the Uyghur language, says violence between ethnic groups in Xinjiang has given the region a bad reputation, and people like him sometimes face prejudice.   

Denise Ho: the Cantopop Queen on a crusade against China's Communist party (September 18, 2016, The Guardian)
She has been labelled ‘Hong Kong poison’ by Beijing, which has also called for her to be boycotted, but the singer is determined to spread her message.

For Confucius and His Descendants, a Cultural Comeback (September 19, 2016, The New York Times)
Among the various qualifications Kong Dexin had to direct and choreograph a flashy new dance-drama about the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, one in particular stood out. According to Ms. Kong, 34, she is a 77th-generation descendant of the revered sage, known in Chinese as Kongzi or “Master Kong.”

Travel / Food

The 10 Most Polarizing Foods in China (September 15, 2016, China Underground)
They are common in some Chinese Provinces and less in others, so these foods can't be found in all China, but are well know from all Chinese people that use to enjoy and love them a lot. At the contrary, many foreign people find them amazing, tasty and exotic or disgusting, terrible and smelly.

11 Jaw-dropping Performances to Watch Across China (September 20, 2016, Wild China Blog)
China’s rich history has allowed for the development of nuanced, artistic performances. With shows that employ nature as the backdrop to the myths and legends of ethnic minorities to the discipline of Kung Fu and the dazzle of Sichuan Opera, China’s full of entertaining and enthralling performances. Here’s a curated selection of some of the most amazing performances you can watch across China today

Hangzhou’s Greatest Foodies (September 20, 2016, The World of Chinese)
The reason Hangzhou food lacks the seasoned blitz of other Chinese staples is simple; it’s the legacy of the cultured class of pre-modern China. The famous attitudes of the elites of Hangzhou can be found in the dishes: a gentle spirit, a Confucius-centered nobility, and a penchant for delicate flavors.

5 Hacks for Visiting (and Actually Enjoying) the Forbidden City (September 21, 2016, The Beijinger)
For many residents of Beijing, the LAST place to be during the holidays is the Forbidden City. But even during the busiest weeks, there are a few tricks which can make your visit to the Forbidden City tolerable, if not actually pleasant.

Photos: The Bore Tides of the Qiantang River (September 20, 2016, The Atlantic)
Higher-than-normal high tides push into the harbor, funneling into the river, causing a broad wave that can reach up to 30 feet high. If the waves surge over the banks, spectators can be swept up, pushed along walkways or down embankments.

Language / Language Learning

12 songs to learn Chinese and expand your horizons (September 18, 2016, Hacking Chinese)
The purpose of this article is to get you started on using Chinese music to learn Chinese Therefore, I’ve picked a wide variety of music and included links to YouTube versions of these songs.

Books

Essays by Han Han, the Chinese Blogger and Media Superstar (September 2, 2016, The New York Times)
For what Han Han offers is not original thought, or indeed great prose, but attitude, perfectly attuned to blogs and tweets and other forms of social messaging. And his attitude is often attractive, even refreshing, in a blogosphere that is so full of cant and vitriol.

Once a Voice of Young China, Han Han Stakes Out a Different Path (September 20, 2016, The New York Times)
Once celebrated as the voice of China’s rebellious youth and the country’s most-read blogger, Han Han, who turns 34 on Friday, has shifted more of his energies in recent years into his career as a racecar driver, filmmaking and family life.

Links for Researchers

China’s media on the South China Sea ruling (September 20, The China Story)
In the mainland press, the government has sought to present itself as a cool-headed honest broker seeking to protect international law from debasement by The Philippines and its backers (most notably the United States). Closer examination of these arguments is an illuminating exercise for anyone seeking to understand the genuine sense of grievance expressed by many Chinese netizens post-ruling, as well as for anyone wishing to understand how the Chinese government cultivates such sentiment through the selective representation of facts around the tribunal, its ruling, and the South China Sea generally.

Image credit: Wenzhou, Malcom Moore, via Flickr