ZGBriefs | May 1, 2025

Featured Article

Chongqing, the World’s Largest City – In Pictures (April 27, 2025, The Guardian)
The largest city in the world is as big as Austria, but few people have ever heard of it. The megacity of 34 million people in central China is the emblem of the fastest urban revolution on the planet. The Communist party decided 30 years ago to unify and populate vast rural areas, an experiment that has become a symbol of the Chinese ability to reshape the world

Spotlight

Job Opening at ChinaSource: Assistant Content Manager
Are you a seasoned Christ follower who’s passionate about content, detail, and the mission of the global Church? You might be who ChinaSource is looking for! We are seeking a part-time Assistant Content Manager to help keep our website and platforms fresh, accurate, and engaging. In this remote role, you’ll support our Content Manager in editing, publishing, and managing content that connects Christians inside and outside China. You’ll also coordinate with designers and vendors to ensure everything runs smoothly. If you’re organized, love working with words, and have a heart for ministry in China, we’d love to hear from you! 
Click here to read more.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Pope Francis Leaves Behind Legacy of Controversial Rapprochment With China (April 22, 2025, China Digital Times)
Global tributes poured in following the death of Pope Francis on Monday, as world leaders and admirers of all faiths mourn a figure of peace in a time of growing conflict. However, as Italy’s Corriere della Sera bitterly noted, Chinese media largely ignored the pope’s death, with most Chinese newspapers relegating that news to short briefs buried behind front pages saturated in Xi Jinping hagiography.

Personnel Problems Are Becoming Personal Problems for Xi Jinping (April 23, 2025, China Brief – The Jamestown Foundation)
The “gun” and the “knife handle” are metonyms for the Party’s two sources of hard power, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the domestic security apparatus. For over 18 months, Xi’s protégés—or at least people appointed under Xi—have been disappearing from leadership positions across these systems. These personnel shifts have undercut Xi’s hold on power, though this does not necessarily mean that he faces a clear challenger or that he is in danger of imminent removal.

Delaying Retirement via Procedural Shortcut: The Fragile Promises of China’s Lawmaking Reforms (April 26, 2025, Made In China Journal)
As we will explain, the Chinese legislature has embraced, in rhetoric and in practice, procedural reforms that grant lawmakers more time to review and propose changes to legislative drafts, while considering the views of a broad range of stakeholders, including the public. Yet, that deliberative process was wholly absent from the momentous retirement reform, laying bare the fragility of the legislature’s promises.

China Rejects Trump’s Claim that Xi Has Called Him by Phone (April 28, 2025, CNN)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not spoken to US President Donald Trump on the phone recently, Beijing said Monday, reiterating that no talks are taking place between the two countries to resolve their tariff war. The statement from a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson is an outright rejection of Trump’s claim in an interview with Time magazine last week that Xi had called him, as the world’s two largest economies remain locked in a dispute over sky-high trade levies.

Religion

Shenzhen: Weary Pastors (April 24, 2025, China Partnership)
In today’s post, several house church leaders share about common struggles they face in ministering to their city. People come and go in Shenzhen, staying for a few years before moving on or returning to their hometown. The pastors agreed that this makes it difficult to build deep relationships and to shepherd people into maturity. Like many other Chinese cities, Shenzhen is a pressure cooker, and the young people living and working there are under a great deal of stress as they try to support themselves plus their families at home. Pastors don’t have enough support, and many struggle with isolation. Most also are not paid very well, and face great pressure in providing financially for their families.

The Rise of Chinese Missionaries (April 25, 2025, ChinaSource)
I recently completed a ThM thesis that examines this growing phenomenon within the Chinese mission movement. As part of my research, I conducted interviews with twelve Chinese university graduates who have served the Lord in cross-cultural locations.Their involvement with God’s global mission is just one example of how the Chinese Church has moved from being a receiver to being a sender of missionaries. This blog post is the first of a series that will discuss the rise of the Chinese mission movement, particularly through the lens of university graduates. Today’s post will consider the historical background of this movement.

Work as Worship (April 28, 2025, ChinaSource)
In the rhythm of daily life—whether in a field like Ruth’s, a high-rise office, a rural classroom, or a family kitchen—God is present. Our labor, our conversations, our routines: all are part of the sacred call to walk with him. Work isn’t separate from worship. In fact, work can be worshipwhen done in response to God’s call.

Shenzhen: How to Pray (April 28, 2025, China Partnership)
Several Shenzhen church leaders share how we can pray for them, their families, and their churches. They are concerned about how to serve children within their church, and uncertain how to train and raise up the next generation of pastors and church leaders. They also mentioned dealing with exhaustion, stress, and burnout. Pray God will sustain and carry these pastors, that they will not labor under heavy burdens but will instead run to Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden is light.

Scattered to Sow (April 29, 2025, ChinaSource)
Mention mission sending from China, and invariably the slogan “Back to Jerusalem” will find its way into the conversation. Indeed, it seems difficult to discuss the mission of China’s church today without reference to this movement. Although it does have a significant place in Chinese church history, “Back to Jerusalem” has become almost a shorthand for Chinese Christians’ involvement in global evangelism, perpetuating a narrative that obscures the larger story of God’s work among the nations and the Chinese church’s place in it.

Society / Life

How Miniso and China’s Pet-Loving Retailers Are Winning Hearts and Wallets (April 14, 2025, ChinaSkinny)
For brands like Miniso, appealing to pet lovers is smart business. China’s younger generations are redefining lifestyles and relationships, with pets increasingly taking the place of children or life partners. Big spending urban millennials and Gen Z are now the main drivers of the pet economy, not only spending more but demanding better: better food, better care, better experiences, and better values from the brands they support.

‘I’ve Had 100 Operations and Will Never Stop’ – Inside China’s Cosmetic Surgery Boom (April 22, 2025, BBC News)
Once seen as taboo, plastic surgery has exploded in popularity over the last 20 years in China, fuelled by rising disposable incomes and shifts in social attitudes, in large part driven by social media. Every year 20 million Chinese people pay for cosmetic procedures. Overwhelmingly, it is young women who seek surgery.

Car Crashes into Crowd Outside Primary School in Chinese City of Jinhua, Residents Say (April 23, South China Morning Post)
A car ploughed into a crowd outside a primary school in the eastern Chinese city of Jinhua on Tuesday, the South China Morning Post has learned, although the number of casualties is not known. It is not clear whether the incident in Zhejiang province was a deliberate “lone wolf” attack similar to others in China in the past six months, or an accident. Police and hospitals in the area would not give details of the incident when contacted by the Post, but did not deny it had happened.

Dig This: Shanghai’s Coolest Hobby Gets Everyone’s Hands Dirty (April 23, 2025, Sixth Tone)
In recent months, Xiaohongshu users have shared more than 30,000 posts related to the topic “digging wild vegetables in Shanghai,” swapping tips on the best foraging spots and how to recognize different plants, as well as recipe ideas. With blossoms in bloom, warmer temperatures, and edible plants sprouting in urban spaces, digging for wild greens, as well as other popular outdoor pursuits like cycling, camping, and hiking, are helping citizens reconnect with nature — and each other.

Chinese Authorities Say 22 People Killed, 3 Injured in Restaurant Fire in Northern City of Liaoyang (April 29, 2025, AP News)
No word was given on the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after noon, but images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building. State broadcaster CCTV said the restaurant’s manager had been placed in police custody as part of the investigation.

Economics / Trade / Business

China Rolls Out Plan to Promote Its Own Payment System as US Trade Warn Simmers (April 22, 2025, South China Morning Post)
China has released an action plan to promote the use of the yuan and its own payment system in international trade, as it seeks to reduce its dependence on the dollar amid an escalating trade war with the United States. The plan – jointly released by the Shanghai municipal government, the People’s Bank of China and the country’s financial regulators on Monday – aims to leverage Shanghai’s role as a global financial hub to promote the use of the Chinese currency, especially in trade involving countries in the Global South.

TikTok to Tariffs: The Obscure Chinese App US Shoppers Just Found (April 22, 2025, Sixth Tone)
A surge of TikTok videos is pointing U.S. shoppers to a new destination for low-cost goods: DHgate, a Chinese wholesale platform that’s quietly gone viral amid rising concerns over import tariffs and price hikes.

‘China Track’ Bank Netting System Shields Russia-China Trade from Western Eyes (April 22, 2025, Reuters)
Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed “The China Track” for transactions with China, aiming to reduce their visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions, banking sources told Reuters. Russia’s trade with China hit a record $245 billion last year despite payment problems and commissions running as high as 12%, as Chinese banks had grown too cautious to do business with Russia and jeopardise their ties with the United States.

Tariffs Are Jamming the US-China Supply Chain. Who that Hits First. (April 25, 2025, Christian Science Monitor)
Surrounded by shelves of colorful Christmas crèches, carousels, and snow globes, Ms. Huang says that under normal circumstances, half of the exports from the factory she represents are bound for the United States. But the raging U.S.-China trade war means American customers have canceled Christmas orders, leaving decorations stacking up in the warehouse, and factory workers idle.

Can a Local Supermarket Save China’s Offline Retail Sector? (April 29, 2025, The World of Chinese)
At a time when the retail landscape in China is undergoing a crisis—with multinational giants like Carrefour closing stores and customer spending continuing to tighten due to economic pressures—this local retailer in an obscure regional city has defied the odds with its reputation for considerate service, strict quality control, fair prices, and employee benefits.

Science / Technology

A Chinese Cave Explorer Found Something Extraordinary. Now He Fears It Will Be Destroyed (April 23, 2025, South China Morning Post)
A newly discovered karst cave dating back 480 million years in remote southwest China has revealed a pristine sediment “gene pool” that experts say has not been seen before. But they say it must be protected before it is too late, warning it is under threat from people – particularly social media influencers – entering the cave and causing irreversible damage to its fragile structures.

Alipay Leads China’s Payments Apps with Tap-and-Pay Service Amassing 100 Million Users (April 25, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Alipay, the mobile payment platform under Ant Group that introduced the cashless society to China with its QR code, is building on that leadership by amassing 100 million users for its tap-and-pay service in the first year of its launch.

Travel / Food

Husband-and-wife lung slices? Why translating Chinese food names into English is ‘an impossible task’ (April 29, 2025, CNN)
Is xiaolongbao a bao or a dumpling? What exactly are “husband-and-wife lung slices” made of? […] But those who attempt to come up with English names for these dishes aren’t to be blamed for the often unusual and occasionally alarming results.

Language / Language Learning

Mandarin Monday: All Your Must-Know Taco Vocab (April 28, 2025, The Beijinger)
We’ll be taking a look at some of the common fillings and extras and showing you how to say you don’t want something in your taco – which may be especially helpful for those cilantro-haters out there. 

Health / Environment

Beicology: What’s the Deal With Beijing’s Wacky Weather? (April 25, 2025, The Beijinger)
Recently, it seems Beijing really has been going through it, weatherwise. Dust storms and temperature drops. Snow and hail. Wind, wind, and more wind! WeChat updates constantly, throwing out alerts and warnings for what feels like every kind of weather under the sun. Disaster weather! The strongest winds in 70 years! And so on. What gives? Read on for a brief look into what’s behind Beijing’s wacky weather.

History / Culture

Divine Departure: When Goddess Flies Commercial (April 24, 2025, The World of Chinese)
In China, the celestial being one is most likely to encounter mid-flight isn’t a mythical winged creature, but Mazu (妈祖), the thousand-year-old goddess of seafarers. On March 29, two Mazu statues boarded Xiamen Airlines Flight MF881 at Gaoqi International Airport, buckled in for their 28th annual cultural exchange trip to Taiwan.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Nobody Cares About the Party’s Recommended Readings (April 25, 2025, China Brief – The Jamestown Foundation)
The “China’s Good Books from 2024” list was announced the same day that the Fifth National Forum on Party History and Literature (第五届全国党史和文献论坛举办) opened in Jinan, Shandong Province (People’s Daily, April 23). One could be forgiven for thinking that it would be greeted with some fanfare or interest by the general reading public. However, all indications from social media and other coverage suggest that, outside of official and Party channels, the list has been ignored for the most part.

Detained Chinese Immigrants Carved their Anguish into a Wall a Century Ago. Those Words Inspired a Ballet (April 26, 2025, The Guardian)
One sunny March day on Angel Island, a hilly landmass in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, a dancer with a 40-ft braid attached to her head glided across a narrow concrete walkway. The audience sat on chairs in front of a long wooden building: a former detention center where – from 1910 to 1940 – half a million people, the majority Chinese, were held for months, even years, in prison-like conditions.

Books

ChinaFile Presents: ‘The Party’s Interests Come First’ (April 30, 2025, China File)
Joseph Torigian discusses the life of Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun, and how his legacy shapes the worldview of one of the world’s most powerful leaders today. Torigian’s new book, The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping, examines the elder Xi’s role as a revolutionary and early leader in the Chinese Communist Party. The book, due to be published in June, is the first English-language biography of Xi Zhongxun. 

Events

Online Book Club (ERRChina)
Join us for an online discussion of the book, “At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning with China,” by Edward Wong. Description: “The son of Chinese immigrants in Washington, DC, Edward Wong grew up among family secrets. His father toiled in Chinese restaurants and rarely spoke of his native land or his years in the People’s Liberation Army under Mao. Yook Kearn Wong came of age during the Japanese occupation in World War II and the Communist revolution, when he fell under the spell of Mao’s promise of a powerful China. His astonishing journey as a soldier took him from Manchuria during the Korean War to Xinjiang on the Central Asian frontier. In 1962, disillusioned with the Communist Party, he made plans for a desperate escape to Hong Kong. Wong tells a moving chronicle of a family and a nation that spans decades of momentous change and gives profound insight into a new authoritarian age transforming the world. A groundbreaking book, At the Edge of Empire is the essential work for understanding China today.”
Date: Wednesday, May 7 ,2025
Time: 5:00 pm EDT / 6:00 pm MDT / 7:00 pm CDT / 8:00 pm EDT
Location: ZOOM
Discussion leader: Joann Pittman
Go here to register. 

Pray for China

April 26 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
The Centenary Conference of the Protestant Missionaries of China was convened in Shanghai on Apr. 25, 1907. The Conference—with 1,170 attendees, including 10 Chinese—celebrated the arrival of the first Protestant missionary to China, Robert Morrison (马礼逊). Pray for foreign Christians to effectively partner with Chinese Christians in the Mission China 2030 goal of commissioning 20,000 cross-cultural missionaries from China by the year 2030. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)

Praying for China | Prayercast (January, 2025, ChinaSource)

Pray for China (prayforchina.us)

Pray for China (China Partnership)