Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs.
Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and Chinese Culture and Communication at Wheaton College (IL) and Taylor University (IN).
Joann has a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and an MA in teaching from the University of St. Thomas (MN).
She is the author of Survival Chinese Lessons and The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China.
Her personal blog, Outside-In can be found at joannpittman.com, where she writes on China, Minnesota, traveling, and issues related to "living well where you don't belong."
You can find her on Twitter @jkpittman.com and on Facebook at @authorjoannpittman.
She makes her home in New Brighton, Minnesota.
ChinaSource Perspective
Returning from a Sojourn
May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.
Insights into the Sojourn of Chinese Returnees
May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.
Gratitude
As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day celebrations here in the United States, I’ve been thinking about expressions of thanks in Chinese culture and language. The most common way of expressing thanks in Chinese is xie xie (谢谢). But there is another word: gan’en (感恩). I love that en means “grace.”
Five Observations from a Week in China
Even though I have been keenly aware of the immense changes that have taken place in China over the past few years, what I saw and experienced was more was more familiar to me than different.
Human Flourishing in Chinese Thought: A Christian Response
Lecture Video Recording
Enjoy the recording of I’Ching Thomas’ lecture, “Human Flourishing in Chinese Thought: A Christian Response.” Drawing on themes from her book Jesus the Path to Human Flourishing, I’Ching explored the notion of human flourishing in Chinese thought, focusing especially on Confucius’ teaching on self-cultivation and benevolence as keys to achieving the ideal of the Noble Man.
Loving Gen Z with the Truth of the Gospel
Joy Cheng closes by reminding us that, even as generations and technologies change, the need for salvation and love remain. The mission also remains the same. “The most loving thing we do as a parent,” she says, “is love our children with the truth of the gospel. We are the missionaries to this generation.”
ZGBriefs | May 2, 2024
Visa-free policies alone will not revive China’s inbound tourism (April 30, 2024, East Asia Forum) The decline in China's inbound tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns, leading to the expansion of its 15-day visa-free travel policy to incentivise tourist visits. But further efforts, such as improving travel convenience, addressing structural and ideological barriers and leveraging technological advancements, are required to rejuvenate the sector and meet the needs of international tourists.
ZGBriefs | April 25, 2024
Malatang (麻辣烫) is one of China’s most ubiquitous dishes, found on streets across the country. The ingredients can consist of almost anything the diner chooses, from various meats, vegetables, and noodle varieties. These are all boiled in broth and then served with soup and a choice of sauces.
ZGBriefs | April 18, 2024
Wildest Dream: What Taylor Swift Means To Her Chinese Fans (April 17, 2024, The World of Chinese) Swift has attracted and influenced her Chinese fans for diverse reasons. TWOC talked to five Chinese Swifties to understand what Taylor Swift means to them. They explained how Swift inspired in them the confidence to travel alone, explore the world beyond their small hometowns, and reevaluate the meaning of feminism.
ZGBriefs | April 11, 2024
As China’s economy falters, so does middle class confidence (April 10, 2024, NBC News) The slowdown means middle-class Chinese can no longer assume continuous economic gains, or that their children’s quality of life will be better than theirs.