A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
Prepare to Drool: Chinese Food Documentary “Flavorful Origins” Hits Netflix (February 28, 2019, Radii China)
The 20-episode culinary documentary series highlights the regional cuisine of Chaoshan in southeastern Guangdong, China.
How Coca-Cola Came to China, 40 Years Ago (February 6, 2019, China Channel)
In part, Coke succeeded because they turned their talent for government relations toward China.
China’s Demographic Crisis Is a Reality (February 14, 2019, Sixth Tone)
If China drops all family planning restrictions but does nothing to encourage births, China’s share of the world’s population will decline rapidly.
Visa-Free Travel to China is Now a Piece of Cake (February 9, 2019, China Law Blog)
Do you need to make a quick trip to China? You may not need a visa, as more cities and provinces are eligible for 6-day visa-free travel.
(February 3, 2019, South China Morning Post)
A harrowing, 14-year journey preserved one of humanity’s most important artistic legacies. When bloody civil war engulfed China, both nationalists and communists claimed the treasure as their own.
Kevin and Julia Garratt on their experience as detainees in China (January 29, 2019, BBC)
Amid an escalating feud between Canada and China and allegations of retaliatory detentions, the pair tells the BBC about what it was like - and how they ever made it home.
Engineers of the Soul: Ideology in Xi Jinping's China by John Garnaut (January 16, 2019, Sinocism)
We will have to make a serious attempt to read the ideological road map that frames the language, perceptions and decisions of Chinese leaders.
WeChat Knows You Really, Really Well (January 10, 2019, Sixth Tone)
The Chinese social app’s 2018 report includes detailed profiles of five generations of users, impressing some and creeping out others.
How the State Is Co-Opting Religion in China (January 7, 2019, Foreign Affairs)
Today’s China seeks not to marginalize competing groups and belief systems, the way Beijing did during the Mao era, but to co-opt them.
The year 2018: China’s civil society past, present and future (December 30, 2018, NGOs in China) Both Terminal 2 and China’s present civil society are like someone’s utilitarian fantasy or nightmare.
Beijing Expats Decry “Click-bait-y” Reports About a Christmas Crackdown (December 26, 2018, The Beijinger)
Are the reports of anti-Christmas measures greatly exaggerated?
China's staggering 40 years of change in pictures (December 18, 2018, BBC) Forty years ago, China introduced major economic reforms - lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and leading to it becoming the second-largest economy in the world.