ZGBriefs | December 5, 2024

Featured Article

Video: China’s Crisis of Faith and the Struggle Over Moral Authority (November 19, Asia Society, via YouTube)
As the crisis of faith has raised alarms in Beijing and the country’s leaders have cracked down on unsanctioned religious expression, a panel of experts discuss how the faithful have responded with resilience and determination. Speakers include Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ian Johnson, Duke Divinity School Professor Xi Lian, and Whitman College Assistant Professor Yuan Xiaobo.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

U.S. Swaps Prisoners with China, Downgrades Travel Warning (November 28, 2024, China Digital Times)

Three American citizens detained in China were returned to the U.S., the White House announced on Wednesday. The move coincided with the release of four Chinese citizens detained in the U.S. The de facto prisoner swap also coincided with the U.S. government’s decision to downgrade its travel warning to China from Level Three (“reconsider travel”) to Level Two (“exercise increased caution”).

The Party in the Machine (November 27, 2024, China Media Project)

Aligning artificial intelligence with ethics and social values is a global challenge. But in China, there is a further dilemma as AI becomes more powerful and pervasive: how to ensure that large language models (LLMs), the building blocks of AI, adhere to the country’s rigid Communist Party orthodoxy. 

China’s ‘People-to-People’ Diplomacy Targets the Global South (November 20, 2024, The Diplomat)

The so-called people-to-people exchanges have been a means, since Mao Zedong’s time, to increase Beijing’s international presence and improve its status in global public opinion. In Asia and Africa, for example, the People’s Republic of China has held various summits aimed at bringing together key actors from local civil society and aligning them with the Communist Party’s agenda.

The Political Gaps in the BRICS Wall (November 22, 2024, East Asia Forum)

The increasing political and strategic influence of Russia, India and China shows that BRICS has the potential to challenge the Western-dominated world order. The key question is whether BRICS can act as a coherent unit and draft an alternative vision to the existing global order.

Religion

Anticipating Hope (November 29, 2024, ChinaSource)

Whatever our stories may promise, our hope for China is more than looking forward to an ideal future. It is not tied to what we believe ought to happen; it is rooted in the conviction that God is at work, often in ways we cannot understand. As we embrace the mystery of the incarnation, so we embrace the mystery of how Christ is revealed in our lives and in the lives of those we love.

The Legacy of Pastor Hsi (December 2, 2024, ChinaSource)

Pastor Hsi knew his strength came from prayer. He had long learned the secret of overcoming weakness and fatigue by the power of the Holy Spirit. He fasted frequently, but there was nothing ascetic about him. His self-denial and fasting were not because he wanted to abstain from desire, but because he wanted to spread the gospel.

The Battle of Faith (November 22, 2024, ChinaSource)

Pastor Hsi’s spiritual battles, particularly the split in the Hung Tung Church, tested his faith and leadership in profound ways. Yet, through these trials, he emerged stronger, his ministry expanding in the face of opposition. In the final installment, we will reflect on his last days, the legacy he left behind, and the lessons we can learn from his life of service and faith.

Guangzhou: Raising Gospel Soldiers (November 28, 2024, China Partnership)

How does the church impact the city? Through Christian life. The Christian life is the process in which we apply truth to daily life situations. Our church’s vision for service can be summed up in a few words: righteous laws, a gospel of grace, sound doctrines, godly living, a healthy diet, a healthy body, clear calling, holy service.

Xiamen: Beautiful, Coastal… and Expensive (December 2, 2024, China Partnership)

This December, we are finishing our year of prayer for Chinese cities by praying for Xiamen, a beautiful (and expensive!) coastal city in eastern China. Xiamen has a population of about 4 million, and has a long history as an important port city for China. It sits just across the strait from Taiwan, and is known within China as a famous tourist destination. Although it is a lovely city with an enjoyable atmosphere, Xiamen’s high cost of living makes it difficult for young people to settle down and build their lives there. Today, four Xiamen pastors introduce us to their home.

Chinese Folk Religion: “Belief” (November 28, 2024, Stephen Jones: A Blog)

My new film on the 1995 New Year’s rituals in Gaoluo prompts this post on the tenacity of rural tradition. Still reflecting on my fieldwork, it’s worth revisiting my remarks in Plucking the winds (pp.277–85, with minor edits) on “belief”: By 1995, as throughout its history, the association had a patchwork of ritual artifacts made at various times over the last century. The previously bare and unprepossessing “public building”, once fully adorned, becomes a place of great beauty, a fitting backdrop for the association’s ritual performance.

Society / Life

Translation: “Confessions of a Collegiate ‘Zhengzhou-to-Kaifeng Night-Cyclist’” (November 20, 2024, China Digital Times)

CDT has translated a lengthy excerpt of a first-person account by 18-year-old college student Yang Yu, who made the four-hour nighttime bike ride to Kaifeng with her boyfriend and some friends. She talks about the journey, her motivations for going, the criticism she received afterward from her mother and others, and the experience of being infantilized by college administrators who instituted curfews and confined Yang and her classmates to campus on the weekends:

A Moment that Changed Me: At Seven, I Saw the Truth of China’s One-Child Policy – and Felt My Parents’ Pain (November 27, 2024, The Guardian)

I wasn’t supposed to exist. In 1986, four years before my birth, my mother was pregnant with a boy until she rode on a cart attached to an old-school tricycle on a bumpy road and bled. She often recounted the story to me, referring to that boy as my brother, but always with a smile on her face. Since she wasn’t sad, I wasn’t either. I was only annoyed that when I failed to meet her expectations, she liked to say: “My life would’ve been better if your brother had lived!” I had no idea about her desperate yearning for more children.

How China’s Love for Cute Collectibles Spiraled Into a Mania (December 2, 2024, Sixth Tone)

In playgrounds across Shanghai, it has become common to see groups of children huddled together, striking swap deals for My Little Pony cards like they’re trading stocks on Wall Street. “You have this one, but I don’t!” The cards are part of a wider mania for collectibles based on popular anime characters that is sweeping across China — sparking an economic frenzy that is even being felt on the country’s stock markets.

Video – Dangerous Weight Loss Camps on the Rise in China as Country Grapples with Obesity Crisis (December 2, 2024, South China Morning Post)

Weight-loss camps promising rapid transformations are booming in China as the country grapples with a growing obesity crisis. The slimming boot camps enforce strict diet plans and rigorous workout regimens to help participants achieve quick weight loss. However, the death of an online influencer in May 2024 has sparked debate about the lengths some camps will go to push their trainees.

Feminist Hit Movie Her Story Touted as China’s Answer to Barbie (November 15, 2024, The Guardian)

Researchers believe the ascendance of Chinese women’s purchasing power, or the so-called “she economy”, is one of the key drivers behind the unprecedented success of recent female-led films. “Female audiences have become a quality demographic to which the Chinese film industry is now attempting to cater,” said Zhu Ying, author of Hollywood in China: behind the scenes of the world’s largest movie market.

Trains: A Chinese Family History of Railway Journeys, Exile, and Survival (November 12, 2024, China File)

I liked trains as a child. Beijing Railway Station, a Soviet-style landmark constructed in 1959—the year I was born—was just two bus stops southwest of our apartment. Beijing had few tall buildings then, so we enjoyed an unobstructed view of the station from our balcony. On a clear day, it looked postcard-perfect with the elegant twin clock towers carved into the blue sky.

Science / Technology

China’s Huawei Takes Aim at Apple With Latest Smartphone (November 26, 2024, New York Times)

Shoppers in China were excited to buy a phone with state-of-the-art components that had been made entirely at home. Huawei was able to appeal to Chinese customers who previously would have been more likely to buy iPhones, eating into Apple’s most important market outside the United States. On Tuesday, Huawei unveiled the next generation of that phone, the Mate 70 series, from its offices in Shenzhen in southeastern China. Richard Yu, Huawei’s consumer group chairman, called the flagship device the “smartest” Mate phone.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Neon Cities, Cyber Nightmares and Yum Cha: Cao Fei, the Visionary Artist Charting China’s Past and Future (December 2, 2024, The Guardian)

Much of Cao’s career has been spent examining the phenomenal technological and social transformations that have taken place in China over the past quarter of a century. She has staged solo exhibitions in Beijing, London, Paris and New York, and last year made the top 10 of ArtReview’s Power 100 list, where she was described as “a leading figure in envisioning our metaverse-tinged future”.

Economics / Trade / Business

China’s share of global electric car market rises to 76% (December 3, 2024, The Guardian)
The vast majority of global EV sales happen in China, the EU and the US, with China dominating the market. But tariffs imposed by the western markets in recent years have threatened to hit the brakes on China’s rapidly expanding industry, which has been named by Beijing as one of the “new three” priority areas for China’s economic development and green transition.

From “Singing Bright Prospects” to “Traversing History’s ‘Garbage Time’”: China Struggles with Slowing Growth (December 1, 2024, China Leadership Monitor)

Public pessimism about the future prospects of China’s post-pandemic economy have manifested in the form of discussions about “historical garbage time.” While the central authorities have responded, as they have done in the past, with increased censorship and a new propaganda effort, what is clearly required is structural reform.

Factory Reset: A New Generation Races to Save China’s Family Businesses (November 26, 2024, Sixth Tone)

Stepping into her family’s textile factory, Mao Lu felt the weight of decades pressing down on her. The staccato clatter of sewing machines, the quiet focus of workers, and the faint smell of freshly cut fabric hung in the air — all daily reminders of what her parents had spent their lives building. Now, that legacy was hers to save.

You’re Wearing the Problem: The Global Impact of Fast Fashion (November 25, 2024, The National Committee on U.S. China Relations))

Fast fashion is possible because of international trade. Each year, the global fashion industry generates more than $4 trillion USD and provides families with affordable clothing options. However, as fast fashion continues to grow, so does awareness of pressing issues such as labor standards and environmental sustainability. How are the United States and China involved in the global fashion industry? How can they collaborate on the issues facing the global fast fashion industry, from production to consumption  

Travel / Food 

China’s Outbound Tourism: Tapping Into the Opportunity (December 3, 2024, ChinaSkinny)

After years of isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese tourists are once again exploring the world, bringing their curiosity and economic power to nearly every corner of the globe. With eased travel restrictions and a strengthening domestic economy, the number of outbound Chinese tourists has shown solid growth.

China’s Giant Sinkholes Are a Tourist Hit – But Ancient Forests Inside Are at Risk (November 22, 2024, BBC News)

Two-thirds of the world’s more than 300 sinkholes are in China, scattered throughout the country’s west – with 30 known tizankeng, Guangxi province in the south has more of them than anywhere else. Its biggest and most recent find was two years ago: an ancient forest with trees reaching as high as 40m. These cavities in the earth trap time, preserving unique delicate ecosystems for centuries. 

Education

An Advanced Degree in China? Think Again, Students Say, as Exam Numbers Plunge (November 21, 2024, South China Morning Post) 

Enrolment for China’s postgraduate entrance exam has declined for the second consecutive year after a years-long rise, signalling waning interest in advanced degrees that appear to be losing value at a time when job opportunities for young Chinese adults are scarce.

Books

Going Deeper with Scripture Memorization (November 25, 2024, ChinaSource)

If you’ve ever ventured abroad to teach English with the hope of sharing the Bible, Memorize What Matters by Josh Summers is a resource that may resonate deeply with you. In cross-cultural ministry, the effectiveness of teaching often hinges on a teacher’s familiarity with the material—and for those sharing Bible verses, there’s an even greater need to internalize its truths. 

Language / Language Learning

Beijing Has China’s Best English, While Country as Whole Drops to World’s 91st (November 22, 2024, The Beijinger Blog)

China’s English proficiency has dropped to 91st out of 116 countries, according to the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index (EPI), with an EF EPI score of 455. This is below the global average score of 477 and places China in the “low proficiency” tier and dangerously close to the “very low proficiency” tier, given for scores of less than 450. Within Asia, China ranked 15th out of 23 countries.

Pray for China

November 28 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)

On Nov. 28, 1913 (Lunar Calendar), Wang Chunyi (汪纯懿姊妹) was born in Jiangsu. She led a most remarkable life of tireless service for the Lord: 17 years mostly in Shanghai helping Zhao Shiguang (赵世光牧师) found the Bread of Life ministry and minister to Jewish refugees; 17 years in prison (Shanghai) and labor camp (Anhui); and 17 years in the United States mostly serving in Bread of Life churches until she retired at age 90. Wang Chunyi wrote two memoirs—A Living Witness (1914-51) and Amazing Grace(1951-1986)—and went to be with the Lord on Mar. 24, 2006 at age 93. Pray for Christians in Shanghai and Anhui to live grace-filled lives and to follow Wang Chunyi’s example of complete surrender to the Lord. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26