A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
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.
Chinese Police Detain Prominent Pastor and Over 100 Protestants (December 10, 2018, The New York Times)
The Chinese police have detained one of the country’s most prominent Protestant pastors.
Weibo’s Online Slang: 10 Chinese ‘Tribes’ & ‘Clans’ to Know (December 1, 2018, What’s on Weibo)
A major part of this online slang culture is the categorization of people into ‘tribes’ or ‘clans’ (族); classifying those (urban) young Chinese people who share certain traits.
How ‘Survivors’ Are Navigating the New Environment (November 27, 2018, The China NGO Project)
A discussion on the state of play nearly two years after the Foreign NGO Law went into effect.
Forty Years on, Is China Still Reforming? (November 9, 2018, China File)
What does this common but vague expression actually mean to Xi? And is Beijing actually reforming and opening up, or stagnating and closing down?
China's middle class: We're being picked like leeks by the government (November 4, 2018, CNN) Wang is one of millions of Chinese middle-class men and women who grew up in a roaring economy… but the past year has been especially tough.
Insights into the Social Credit System on Chinese Online Media vs Its Portrayal in Western Media (October 30, 2018, What’s on Weibo)
Contrasting Chinese and Western media coverage of China’s Social Credit System
Buddha-mania: Understanding China’s Buddha Building Boom (October 23, 2018, Sixth Tone)
Is there such a thing as too many Buddhas? China may be about to find out.
How the Foreign NGO Law Has Affected International Adoption (October 16, 2018, China File) The Chinese government has prevented foreign adoption agencies from legally filing temporary activities in China, and has effectively shut down at least three major official programs.
Duck Tales: The Origin of the Birds in Beijing’s Famous Dish (October 4, 2018, Sixth Tone)
Chinese breeders are looking to seize back some of the lean duck market and ensure that the country’s most renowned duck dishes are domestically sourced.
China Unbound: What An Emboldened China Means For The World (October 2, 2018, NPR)
It's time to say it has risen. But what does an emboldened China mean for the world?
With Vatican Talks and Bulldozers, China Aims to Control Christianity (September 24, 2018, The New York Times)
“The administration feels that the government had been too lax in the past and now wants to increase the pressure.”