Contemporary Society
Why Are the Migrants Being Kicked Out?
Ridding Beijing of unsafe and illegally built structures—is it about ridding the city of structures or people?
A Pivotal Decade
Writing in 2001, Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin anticipated the major milestones in a decade—the 2000s— that in many ways served as a defining period for China.
Street of Eternal Happiness
A Book Review
Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams along a Shanghai Road by Rob Schmitz the stories of families and their neighbors living along one road in the former French Concession of Shanghai.
Why China Needs a Higher Righteousness
In June, video footage of a tragic traffic accident surfaced online, once again prompting questions of morality in Chinese society by Chinese netizens. The incident occurred on April 21 in Zhumadian, Henan province. The video shows a woman who was blindsided by one car while crossing the street and left there by pedestrians. Several people and several cars pass through the intersection without stopping to help. Sadly, the woman is struck again by another car and killed. In this article from the journal Territory, Pastor An analyzes the incident and comments that a cold wave of self-righteousness has swept through Chinese society and says, “what we need is a higher righteousness” to counter this wave of self-righteousness.
The Youth in China
Recent research on church leaders in China conducted by ChinaSource and others revealed that one of their chief concerns is raising up the next generation. Youth ministry is still a relatively undeveloped area, but, as the quotes in this month’s Lantern show, the needs are great. Please join us in praying for a breakthrough among China’s young people. Brent […]
Responding to Despair, Part 2
"Blue Whale" or Christian Faith?
Last week we posted the first part of an article from Territory about the entrance of the “death game” Blue Whale into China and its effect on teens in China. Part one detailed the workings of the game. The second part describes a Chinese Christian’s response to the game and the gospel’s message of hope for teens in China. This is part two.
Responding to Despair, Part 1
"Blue Whale" or Christian Faith?
Chinese news sources report that teens in China have fallen victim to a social media “death game” that has its origins in Russia. This game preys on teens who suffer from depression and encourages them to commit suicide. Through threats and blackmail, teens are progressively drawn closer to danger.
The Christian journal Territory recently detailed the dark workings of the death game. The author of the article, A Qian, writes of his own experience with depression and how his faith played an instrumental role in understanding his depression. A Qian describes from a Chinese Christian perspective how the Christian faith provides good news and counters the dark hopelessness of the death game, particularly for Chinese teens.
Voices from Hong Kong
On the 20th Anniversary of the Hong Kong SAR
Were you hopeful or pessimistic about Hong Kong's future in 1997? How do you feel now on the 20th anniversary of the handover?
Chinese New Year: A Round-up
Today is chu-san, the third day of the new lunar year. China is essentially closed since everyone gets at least a 7-day holiday and many will be gone from their jobs or schools for a month or more. To give you a feel for how the holiday is being celebrated, here’s a round-up of some interesting articles that have been published recently.
The Chinese Dream in 12 Quotes
Since Xi Jinping came to power in late 2012, the slogan “Chinese Dream” has been one of the guiding principles of the Chinese Communist Party. The way the Party sees it, the essence of the Chinese dream is national rejuvenation, or making China great again, so to speak. The vast propaganda apparatus has been mobilized to convince people in China that their own personal dreams are inextricably linked to the broader dream of a rising China.