ZGBriefs | August 15, 2024

Featured Article

Chinese Rock Isn’t Dead (For Now) (August 12, 2024, Sixth Tone)
In December, China will celebrate the 30th anniversary of a 3.5-hour concert in Hong Kong’s Hung Hom Coliseum featuring the country’s leading rock acts at that time: Dou Wei, Zhang Chu, He Yong, and the band Tang Dynasty.

Often simply referred to as “The Hung Hom Concert,” it has legendary status in contemporary Chinese music lore, celebrated by many as a peak in Chinese rock music that has yet to be surpassed.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

China’s Great Wall of Villages (August 9, 2024, New York Times)
The New York Times mapped and analyzed settlements along China’s border to create the first detailed visual representation of how the country has reshaped its frontiers with strategic civilian outposts, in just eight years. The mapping reveals that China has put at least one village near every accessible Himalayan pass that borders India, as well as on most of the passes bordering Bhutan and Nepal.

China Pursuing State Objectives in Astropolitics (August 13, 2024, East Asia Forum)
The creation of specialised space forces by nations such as the United States, Russia, India, Japan, France, Australia and China has marked a major shift in astropolitics. While countries like the United States have established these divisions purely for military purposes, China’s Aerospace Force, established to support its five armed services, is set to provide assistance for both military and civilian activities. This approach demonstrates China’s desire to pursue the party-state’s longstanding objectives in the new domain of space.

Gold Medal Rivalry: For China and the US, the Olympics Are More Than Just Sport (August 12, 2024, The Diplomat)
As the final whistle blew and the curtains fell on the French Olympics, a familiar narrative once again emerged from the shadows of the world’s biggest sporting stage. It’s not just the era of last-minute victories or the glory of athletic excellence that captures global attention, but the subtle undercurrent of geopolitical rivalry that plays out in the race for gold medals.

Religion

Identity Beyond Nationalism (August 12, 2024, ChinaSource)
Whether it is China wanting to unify Taiwan or Taiwan wanting to distance itself from China, the interpretation of history becomes an important battlefield of ideas to emphasize identity subjectivity and the legitimacy of their self-claims. However, the gospel narrative offers a completely different path of identity.

Come and See: Welcoming 50,000 Youth (August 9, 2024, ChinaSource)
China is creating the avenues for people-to-people education and cultural exchanges. Christians should be among the first to respond to openings like this.

Ministering to Muslims: The Dialogue between Timothy I and the Caliph Mahdi (August 7, 2024, ChinaSource)
In AD 781, during the reign of Mahdi, the third of the Abbasid caliphs at Baghdad and spiritual and temporal head of the Muslim religion, Timothy and the caliph convened for a two-day dialogue in Arabic with portions in Syriac. The fraternal dialogue format with the caliph was in the form of questions and answers. This discussion was found in a letter written by Timothy I addressed to a monk friend. He used the Bible and some Quranic terminology with the caliph in his arguments.

Chinese College Ministry After Covid: Part 2 (August 12, 2024, China Partnership)
Chinese college campuses are stressful places these days, with two groups of students: those who throw themselves into China’s rat race as they seek to get ahead, and those who have given up on striving and want to just lay back and enjoy life. Although they deal with the pressures of modern life differently, both groups are struggling.

Chongqing: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry (August 8, 2024, China Partnership)
Chongqing is a mega-city in southwest China, spread over a geographical landmass the size of Austria. Many of Chongqing’s residents actually live in more rural areas, but all told, the municipal area has a population of about 32 million. The city is known for its famous hot pot, hot temperatures, and many mountains and hills. As we pray for Chongqing this August, several house church pastors told us about Chongqing, its people, and the needs they see around them.

Society / Life

Everything is Pan: The Resurgence of Panzhu and Prayer Beads in China (August 12, 2024, The Beijinger Blog)
The beads initially gained popularity in China as a spiritual weapon for warding off evil spirits, spreading from monasteries into the hands of lay practitioners. Until recently, the beads themselves were seen as a sign of faith or simply as a means for old people to pass the time, but this is changing. Prayer beads and the practice of panzhu, now shortened to 盘 pán, have gone viral since around 2022.

Chinese State Media Lauds Olympian’s Gold Medal Haul (August 12, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
But commentators told RFA Mandarin that there is currently scant investment in amateur sports in China, and that the team’s success was entirely dependent on a state-run and state-funded medal factory that picks out promising youngsters and trains them to excel in key sports.

Panama Dismantles “VIP” Chinese Migrant Route in Darien Jungle, a Route to US Border (August 8, 2024, South China Morning Post)
Panamanian border police arrested 15 people on Wednesday connected to a criminal organisation that helped smuggle Chinese migrants across the Darien jungle via a “VIP route” with fewer challenges to traverse.

China’s State Media Denounce “Smashing Eggs” Game Craze as “Decadent” (August 8, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
State-owned companies and government departments in China are cracking down on a poker-like card game called “Smashing Eggs,” or Guandan, that has taken the nation by storm, according to recent media reports.

Economics / Trade / Business

US Officials to Visit China for Economic Talks as Trade Tensions Rise (August 12, 2024, New York Times)
A group of senior Biden administration officials is traveling to Shanghai this week for a round of high-level meetings intended to keep the economic relationship between the United States and China on stable footing amid mounting trade tensions between the two countries.

China’s EV Overcapacity Is Inevitable (August 6, 2024, The Diplomat)
Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a new source of China’s trade tensions. In May, the US government imposed a 100 percent tariff in Chinese EV imports. The European Union quickly followed suit, imposing a 37.6 percent tariff on Chinese EVs. The Chinese government denied the overcapacity charge. However, evidence of overcapacity is clear.

China Wants People to Eat Out and Take In More Trips and Shows (August 6, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
China has set out plans to get the country’s 1.4 billion people to spend more on eating out, tourism and entertainment, in a last-ditch bid to rescue the flagging economy. Governments across the country must step up measures to boost private spending on tourism, cultural attractions and eating out through promotional deals, local festivals and high-end restaurants, the country’s cabinet, the State Council, said in a directive published on its official website.

Education

Love the Army, Defend the Motherland: How China Is Pushing Military Education on Children (August 10, 2024, The Guardian)
The defence ministry said in September 2023 that primary and secondary schools across the country had begun the new school year with defence education lessons, “planting a deep sense of patriotism, respect for the military, and concern for national defence in the heart of students.”

Health / Environment

China Pledges Billions More in Funds to Aid Disaster-Stricken Farm Regions (August 13, 2024, Reuters)
China’s central bank said on Tuesday it will provide an additional 100 billion yuan ($14 billion) to banks to support rebuilding areas devastated by floods, after recent extreme weather damaged around 6 million acres of crops.

The world’s largest agricultural importer has in recent weeks been plagued by Typhoon Gaemi lashing its eastern seaboard, record rains in its southern rice fields, and intense heat waves across its northern corn and wheat yielding regions.

Science / Technology

China’s AI Hype Gets a Reality Check (August 7, 2024, China Media Project)
AI has generated hype all around the world, but the nature of China’s political system makes that hype harder to call out, at least in public. Chinese state media and tech companies have been trumpeting the big promises and potential of AI while turning a blind eye to the teething problems outlets are facing right now to implement this technology.

Scientist at Forefront of US Army Research Selected to Lead PRC’s Strategic Chip Production Line (August 8, 2024, The Jamestown Foundation)
On July 30, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) announced the establishment of its third-generation chip production line in Hong Kong (HKCNA, July 30). This represents a significant move that underscores Beijing’s ambitions in the semiconductor industry. The new production line is spearheaded by renowned scientist Dr. Yitao Liao, who previously collaborated with the US Army on similar technologies. Both this new production line and Dr. Liao’s involvement raise questions about US policies toward the security and supervision of research into dual-use technology amid ongoing US-PRC rivalry.

Travel / Food

From Street Eats to Gourmet Feasts: The Evolution of Chinese Trendy Food in 2024 (August 9, 2024, Medium)
Chinese cuisine has long held a cherished spot in the global culinary landscape. Its rich flavors, diverse ingredients, and profound cultural significance make it a favorite for food lovers everywhere. In 2024, Chinese trendy food continues to evolve, blending tradition with innovation. This article explores the journey of Chinese food from humble street eats to sophisticated gourmet feasts, highlighting the key trends shaping this transformation.

2024 Food and Beverage Trends in China (June 19, 2024, Chinaskinny)
Chinese cuisine has a history spanning thousands of years, with many traditional recipes and culinary techniques having been passed down through generations. That historic significance is increasingly merging with contemporary China’s quest for novel and adventurous, forging a dynamic and fascinating food and beverage category.

Language / Language Learning

Podcast—Student Q&A, August 2024 (August 7, 2024, Hacking Chinese)
This week’s podcast episode (#209) is a reader and listener Q&A, where I answer three questions about translation in Chinese. This time, I’m answering questions about: How to stop translating in your head, untranslatable words, and why translation can be a good practice method.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Diversity in Unity: Exploring the Many “Bodies” of Chinese Dance (August 8, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Emily Wilcox is a professor of Chinese studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at William & Mary in the United States and recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in Dance Studies in 2024. Her 2018 book, Revolutionary Bodies, traces the evolution of concert dance in China from the 1930s to the present. Recently, Wilcox was interviewed by the Shanghai Review of Books during a research trip to Beijing, a portion of which is reproduced here.

Pray for China

August 11 (Pray for China: A Walk Through History)
Over a million Red Guards gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Aug. 18, 1966, while Mao Zedong (毛泽东) urged them to take part in destroying China’s “Four Olds.” Although many pastors recanted their faith under heavy pressure that month, elderly Shanghai pastor Zhu Guishen (竺规身牧师) did not. Though Zhu had been a close friend of evangelist Dr. Song Shangjie (宋尚节博士- John Sung), he joined liberals in signing the Three Self Manifesto. However, he was labeled a “rightist” in the late 1950s because of his firm evangelical convictions, and he suffered horribly during the Cultural Revolution. Zhu went to be with the Lord in 1978 at age 95. Pray for officials in Beijing and Shanghai to remember that the Lord pleads for the poor and takes the life of those who rob them.

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them. Proverbs 22:22-23