FEATURED ARTICLE
Can the Chinese Church Say No? (May 6, 2014, ChinaSource Blog)
For the church in China as well, there can be a certain degree of ambivalence when it comes to partnering with the church abroad. Generous offers of literature, training, and other helps have, in recent decades, been welcomed by a church that has been stretched in all areas, yet one often hears later that the resources provided did not ultimately meet the needs. While Chinese Christians may appreciate the practical help given by Christians outside, perhaps more important to them are the fellowship and moral support which these contacts provide. Rather than risk losing a valuable link to the outside world, Chinese Christians may tend to go along with ministry initiatives suggested by foreign Christians in order to keep relationships intact.
GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Video: What can a game tell us about China's politics? (May 6, 2014, BBC)
China corruption campaign: On Zhou Yongkang's trail (May 6, 2014, BBC)
Where is Zhou Yongkang? A question all of China is asking but I didn't expect an elderly man to stop by the pond in Zhou's home village and press me for answers. Until recently one of China's most powerful politicians, Zhou Yongkang has simply disappeared, presumed victim of the Orwellian security apparatus he once controlled.
The Tiananmen Square Meeting That Sparked a Crackdown in Beijing (May 6, 2014, China Real Time)
Chinese authorities have detained Pu Zhiqiang, one of the countrys most visible and prominent rights lawyers, after he attended a meeting held to discuss the June 4th Tiananmen Square crackdown. The small gathering, held in Beijing May 3, involved prominent liberal intellectuals, dissidents and several whose lives were altered drastically in the wake of the 1989 crackdown. Most of the nearly 20 attendees were taken away by authorities for questioning in the days after the meeting, with some allowed to return home. In addition to Mr. Pu, rights groups and lawyers say four others who attended the meeting were also formally detained, though CRT could not immediately verify those reports.
China and Vietnam clash over oil rig in South China Sea as tensions escalate (May 7, 2014, Washington Post)
Chinese ships have been ramming into and firing water cannons at Vietnamese vessels that are trying to stop Beijing from putting an oil rig in the South China Sea, according to officials and video footage released Wednesday, in a dangerous escalation of tensions over waters considered a global flash point. Officials said several boats have been damaged and at least six Vietnamese aboard have been injured.
China knife attack: Suspect 'acted alone' (May 7, 2014, BBC)
Local authorities in China's Guangzhou believe Tuesday's attack at a railway station was carried out by a lone suspect, after initial investigations. The city's Public Security Bureau said police shot the suspect outside the station and sent him to hospital. Police have not yet identified the man, nor said whether the attack was connected to similar recent incidents in Urumqi and Kunming. The man did not have an identity card, said state media.
Beijing Dazed in Wake of Xinjiang Terrorist Blast (May 8, 2014, China Real Time)
Recently there have been signs that the Xi leadership was considering expanding the way Beijing addresses ethnic tension in the restive region by looking into the social and economic disparities that many analysts think underlie unrest, rather than simply taking up the truncheons and cracking down. But in the aftermath of the April 30th event, theres been no clear signal which approach Beijing actually wants to take. As if at a loss, state media continues to repeat stories of Xis visit to the region, addressing the attack obliquely if at all.
China in damage control mode as terror attacks spread beyond Xinjiang (May 8, 2014, he Guardian)
Experts say that without resolving restive region's underlying problems, shows of force by security forces may be only a patch.China warns Vietnam over stand-off in South China Sea (May 8, 2014, BBC)
China has warned Vietnam to withdraw its ships from disputed waters after vessels from the two sides collided in a tense confrontation. Vietnam has accused China of massing 80 vessels, including navy ships, to back an operation to drill for oil off the disputed Paracel islands. It released video footage to back its claim that Chinese ships had rammed Vietnamese vessels. The US has called for restraint amid fears of possible clashes.
Detained journalist Gao Yu on China's challenges (May 8, 2014, BBC)
For two weeks, Gao Yu's friends and family tried to find out what happened to the 70-year-old writer and commentator after she disappeared into police custody. And now they know: she has been accused of leaking state secrets – a serious charge that could result in a lengthy prison term.Ms Gao's lawyer, Teng Biao, told the BBC he agrees with online speculation that Ms. Gao is being punished for her perceived connection to the release of "Document Number 9".
RELIGION
And The Walls Came Tumbling Down in China's 'Jerusalem' (May 2, 2014, Christianity Today)
Despite the effort of hundreds of Chinese Christians who formed a "human shield" to defend their brand-new megachurch, reports of its demolition have emerged from southern China.
What Triggers Persecution of Christians in China? (May 5, 2014, ChinaSource Blog)
Analysis of the China Aid data as well as other documented cases over the years suggests there are several triggers that prompt government officials to take action against Christians:
Video: Chinese Christians fear crackdown (May 5, 2014, BBC)
Christians in the south eastern city of Wenzhou are warning of a crackdown on their faith, following the destruction of one church and warnings to others. Despite official atheism, there are more regular church goers in China than in the whole of Europe.
China demolition of church in Wenzhou leaves Christians uneasy (May 5, 2014, Los Angeles Times)
Many local Christians, though, think the campaign aims to crack down on the churches that have proliferated in Wenzhou since the 1980s. Many members of the city's business class have flocked to the religion and funded the construction of increasingly elaborate houses of worship, in the process earning the city the moniker "China's Jerusalem.
"Demolish! Its Just a Building! (May 5, 2014, Chinese Church Voices)
In the week since the Sanjiang Church was demolished, netizens in China (both Christian and non-Christian) have taken to social media to comment on the incident. While some acknowledge the chaotic nature of the growth of Christianity in Wenzhou, most of the posts by Christians express anger towards the local officials, anguish at the loss, and encouragement to fellow believers to stand firm.
The Political Witness of the Chinese Church (Jackson Wu) (May 7, 2014, Patheos)
Therefore, Im starting a new series in which I will consider the Christian political witness of the Chinese church. It is important to remember what is meant by politics. In a prior post, I said that politics concerns power influence in a public setting. Therefore, the topic is much broader than political parties and elections.
China Tells Temples to Grant Orphans Freedom of Religion (May 7, 2014, China Real Time)
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, religious groups such as temples and nunneries account for 74% of the 878 privately operated organizations that care for Chinas orphans, including nearly 10,000 babies. Orphans are among the worlds most vulnerable children, facing threats from human trafficking to neglect to sexual abuse. They are also occasionally seen as ripe targets for conversion by religious groups. In recent years, the religious community has played an important role when it comes to helping orphans and abandoned children, the government notice said, But still, the supervision and management [of such establishments] is insufficient.
What is the Chinese word for church? (May 8, 2014, ChinaSource Blog)
As with most questions of a linguistic nature, the answer is a bit complicated because in English the term "church" can refer to either a gathering of believers or a building where those believers gather. In other words, we can use the term "church" to call any and all gatherings of believers, regardless of the existence of a building. Generally speaking, we can infer from the context what is being discussed. The Chinese language makes a distinction by using two different words: jiaotang (教堂)and jiaohui (教会).
Video: What Kind of Impact Can the Church in China Have? (Tim Keller, Part 3) (China Partnership)
Tim Keller discusses how the Chinese church could be used around the world in the years to come in Part 3 of our series Conversations with Tim Keller.
SOCIETY / LIFE
Chinas Censored World (May 2, 2014, The New York Times)
The defining fact of China in our time is its contradictions: The worlds largest buyer of BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles is ruled by a Communist Party that has tried to banish the word luxury from advertisements. It is home to two of the worlds most highly valued Internet companies (Tencent and Baidu), as well as historys most sophisticated effort to censor human expression. China is both the worlds newest superpower and its largest authoritarian state.
The Nongmin Breakdown (May 2, 2014, China File)
A uniquely Chinese social identity, the category of rural migrant worker is a product of Chinas urban/rural dichotomy. It refers to a class of citizens no longer employed in the agricultural sector who nevertheless retain their legal status as nongmin (peasants).
Un-Forbidden City: Braving Beijings Biggest Tourist Attraction in a Wheelchair (May 2, 2014, China Real Time)
As she rolled down a corrugated stone ramp leading to the Forbidden Citys Hall of Supreme Harmony, the tremors rocking her electric wheelchair put Judith Heumann, one of the U.S.s most prominent disability rights activists, in mind of the vibrating loungers one sometimes finds in airports. Its like a free massage, she said, her voice shaking from a mix of laughter and the juddering of the chair.
Flight 370 Families Maintain Support Group on WeChat (May 7, 2014, China Real Time)
The families of passengers on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will no longer regularly be meeting face-to-face in Beijing, but many are keeping their support group alive nonetheless on Tencents messaging app. As many as 500 peoplemostly family members of passengers on Flight 370 but also journalists, police officers and even government officialswere in a WeChat room on Tuesday, discussing topics ranging from how to obtain a temporary residency permit in Beijing to sorting out legal issues.
Performing With Produce: The Man Behind Chinas Cabbage Walkers (May 7, 2014, China Real Time)
Earlier this week, a handful of Western media outlets reported on a strange new trend: teenagers in the worlds most populous country walking cabbages on leashes as a way to battle ennui and loneliness. I have more interest for my cabbage than I do my parents. I feel it understands me, one teen told the photo agency Europics in a quote reproduced by the Huffington Post. In reality, the Cabbage Patch Kids, as the Austrian Times dubbed them, were neither new nor part of a trend. Instead, they were participants in a performance art piece staged at a Beijing music festival by an artist, Han Bing, who has been walking cabbages as well as bricks and other vegetables for more than a decade.
More Hugs Please, Were Chinese (May 7, 2014, Sinosphere)
Recently, it seems like everyone is hugging. Friends are hugging. Family members are hugging. In hugging between Chinese and non-Chinese, it was non-Chinese who once foisted physical affection on the Chinese. Today it may be a Chinese initiating contact. The tables are turning.
The Chinese Dream vs. the American Dream, in 4 Charts (May 8, 2014, China Real Time)
The Chinese dream, was an ambiguous term leaders began tossing around a few years ago when outlining a path to revive their country as a global economic and military power. Many wondered whether the term would take hold, and new research suggests that it has deeply penetrated the psyche of regular citizens. According to a survey of 500 Chinese, 500 Americans and 500 Britons by research firm Millward Brown and media company WPP, the Chinese dream apparently trumps the others.
Parents feel loss as more children go abroad (May 8, 2014, China Daily)
Ren is just one of the increasing number of "empty nest" Chinese families, in which the parents can face difficulties after their only child leaves to study overseas. The number of Chinese students overseas reached 413,900 in 2013, an increase of 3.58 percent from the previous year, figures from the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange under the Ministry of Education showed.
EDUCATION / HISTORY
Photos: What Shanghai Looked Like 140 Years Ago (May 2, 2014, China Real Time)
Its one thing to talk about the stunning transformation Shanghai has undergone over the years. Its another thing entirely to see it. A set of photographs from the late 19th century auctioned off by Sothebys earlier this week for 146,500 ($247,000) shows just how little the Shanghai of today resembles its former self.
Ten China Documentaries (May 6, 2014, ChinaSource Blog)
There are numerous documentaries about China floating around out there so I thought I'd highlight some of my favorites, some of which I use in training/orientation courses for folks headed to China. Others I like just because they are interesting. At any rate, they will all help you understand China better.
HEALTH
Across China: Autistic children train for independence (May 7, 2014, Xinhua)
After the May Day holiday, Li took her son to Home of Wisdom, a non-governmental organization that provides training and rehabilitation for autistic children aged from 3 to 18. On his first day, Meng was determined to gulp down a whole bottle of water when Wang Liying stopped him. "Slow down, and take small mouthfuls," she said. Wang, a psychology major, is the founder of the training program. She is in charge of Home of Wisdom and also teaches psychology at Beihua University in Jilin, a city in the northeast China province with the same name.
High antibiotic levels in China's water (May 8, 2014, Xinhua)
China's surface water was found to contain as many as 68 kinds of antibiotic in much higher concentrations than in the water of developed countries. Another 90 kinds of non-antibiotic medical ingredients were also detected. China produces more than 33,000 tones of PPCPs each year, a possible reason why such a high concentration was found, said the report, adding that 70 percent of China's drugs are antibiotics.
ECONOMICS / BUSINESS / TRADE
China Further Restricts Foreign Dairy Brands (May 5, 2014, The New York Times)
The Chinese government has imposed new limits on foreign brands of milk powder and infant formula sold in China, according to reports on Monday by the state-run news media. The restrictions appear to be the latest attempt by the government to reduce the enormous demand for foreign-made dairy products and bolster the sales of domestic brands.
China Doesnt Want Its Economy to Be No. 1 (May 6, China Real Time)
China isnt breaking out the champagne, though. In a Monday editorial by the state-run Global Times, the paper said the idea that Chinas economy tops the world is not nonsense, but doesnt reflect the way most Chinese feel.
Chinese E-Commerce Giant To Offer U.S. IPO (May 7, 2014, NPR)
Alibaba is the largest online and mobile commerce site in the world, controlling a huge portion of the Chinese market. It has filed papers in the U.S. for what could be the biggest IPO ever.
The Chinese Are Coming! (And Thats OK) (May 7, 2014, Tea Leaf Nation)
On April 29, the United States Chamber of Commerce, a U.S. lobbying group, announced that Chinese investment in the United States surpassed U.S. investment in China for the first time. The news has been a long time in coming: Over the past decade, Chinese companies have made major inroads in the U.S. market from the energy sector to food production to Hollywood and its clear their influence is growing. Americans worry that China is buying up the world. But theres another, better way for U.S. authorities, businesses, and citizens to approach the influx: Embrace it.
Whodunit: Yes, Chinas Central Bank Was Behind the Yuan Depreciation (May 8, 2014, China Real Time)
Its official: Chinas central bank was behind the Chinese yuans recent depreciation. According to the latest data from the Peoples Bank of China, the central bank bought about 174 billion yuan worth of dollars inMarch, a purchase it made to drive down the value of the yuan against the U.S. dollar.
SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY / ENVIRONMENT
From snail mail to 4G, China celebrates 20 years of Internet connectivity (April 24, 2014, EIN News)
This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's first connection with the Interneta technological breakthrough that has had a particularly massive impact on the world's most populous country."It's been utterly transformational," said Kaiser Kuo, director of international communications at Baidu, China's largest search engine. "The advent of the Internet has been a great leveler in terms of access to knowledge, to education materials, to goods and services.
ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT
Zhang Yimou 'Coming Home' Screening Prompts Tears, Reflection Across China (May 5, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter)
An advance screening of director Zhang Yimou's upcoming period drama Coming Home, which is set in and after China's tumultuous Cultural Revolution, was greeted with tears and great emotion at a screening here this week. [] The film focuses on an intellectual banished to the countryside as a "Rightist" who returns after the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976.
Fan Bingbing Leads Forbes' List of China's 10 Most Powerful Celebrities (May 5, 2014, The Beijinger)
Lifestyles of the rich and famous, who also happen to be beautiful and powerful. Forbes magazine's China edition has released its list of China's 10 Most Powerful Celebrities, which is interestingly not based solely on their calculated earnings for 2013. Let's take a look at this year's list:
Artists Finding Inspiration in Chinas Bad Air (May 7, 2014, Los Angeles Times)
Increasingly, though, artists are finding their muse in the ecological mire. With photos, paintings, conceptual pieces and performances, they're piercing through the din of data, seizing the attention and imagination of both the authorities and the public.
FOOD / TRAVEL / CULTURE
A Brief Introduction to Hunan Cuisine (Ferreting Out the Fun)
While less well known, Hunan food might be even more fiery thanks to its liberal use of whole chilies seeds, membranes and all.
LANGUAGE / LANGUAGE LEARNING
50 Skills and Abilities in Chinese (May 5, 2014, carlgene.com)
Heres the list Ive compiled. Note that there are four main suffixes that describe skills and abilities in Chinese.
How to Approach Chinese Grammar (May 7, 2014, Hacking Chinese)
I once compared learning Chinese grammar to learning Japanese grammar. My conclusion is that Chinese grammar starts out pretty easily and ramps up gradually. (Dont get too smug, though; while youre not getting flummoxed by Chinese grammar, Chinese tones and characters are ravaging your poor little brain.) The great thing about this is that it means get out there and talk is a great strategy. If youve got the vocabulary and a few basic patterns down, grammar is not going to be your biggest obstacle. If you cant find someone to talk to, then get reading as soon as possible.
BOOKS
China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global, by Joel Backaler)China Goes West presents an unrivalled overview of Chinese companies' expansion into developed economies and the opportunities and challenges it brings. Through detailed research, engaging case studies and exclusive interviews with senior executives, Backaler tells the story of why and how Chinese companies invest internationallyproviding much-needed insight into these firms and their rise. The author concludes with practical advice for governments, companies and societies in China and the West to minimize the concerns and maximise the benefits of Chinese investment.
ARTICLES FOR RESEARCHERS
Role reversal: how Japan became Americas ally and China fell from grace (May 4, 2014, East Asia Forum)
In a bizarre twist after China and the US had suffered at Japanese hands the positions of the two East Asian countries vis–vis the US were reversed: Japan became the ally, China the enemy. This has been the paradigm since; it informed Barack Obamas visit to Tokyo and the need he felt to show support for Tokyo in its rift over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands with Beijing.
Image credit: Joann Pittman