ZGBriefs | February 20, 2025

Featured Article

Video: Work on the Margins in China (February 14, 2025, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations)
As the pace of development and economic growth in China slows, employment prospects for workers on the margins, including migrant laborers, rural residents, and young people have changed and narrowed. In an interview conducted on January 22, 2025, Scott Rozelle and Yige Dong, in conversation with Kristen Looney discuss the current employment landscape for these groups, how it relates to economic and demographic trends, and how the Chinese government has responded.

Sponsored Post

Online Workshop – Save Face? Save a Relationship? or Save Both? (Part 1)
(February 27, 2025, Jolene Kinser)
In a multicultural society, navigating conflict can be complex, especially when the concept of “face” plays a pivotal role in how relationships develop and are maintained. Join us Thursday Feb 27 2025 from 10:00-11:00 AM PST on Zoom for a biblically-based, interactive workshop that offers critical insights into this often-overlooked dynamic.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

China Builds Space Alliances in Africa as Trump Cuts Foreign Aid (February 11, 2025, Reuters)
On the outskirts of Cairo, a cutting-edge space lab was supposed to be the first in Africa to produce homegrown satellites. Step inside the plant, though, and the made-in-Africa image begins to fade. Satellite equipment and parts arrive in crates from Beijing. Chinese scientists scan space-tracking monitors and deliver instructions to Egyptian engineers. A Chinese flag hangs from one wall. The first satellite assembled at the factory, hailed as the first ever made by an African nation, was built mainly in China and launched from a spaceport there in December 2023.

Sinicization Campaigns Target Hui Communities and Mosques (February 12, 2025, China Digital Times)
Steadily growing over the past few years, the Chinese government’s Sinicization campaigns have targeted a number of Muslim minority groups. These campaigns are perhaps most visible through the transformation of mosques, which have been the site of confrontation between police and local protesters. 

Strangers on a Seabed: Sino-Russian Collaboration on Undersea Cable Sabotage Operations (February 14, 2025, China Brief Archives – Jamestown Foundation)
Recent suspicious activities conducted by the merchant vessels Shunxing-39 and Vasili Shukshin in the vicinity of Taiwan in early 2025 suggest possible collaboration between Chinese and Russian merchant ships related to the reconnaissance and sabotage of undersea communications cables that connect Taiwan to the outside world.

China Berates US for Changing State Department Language on Taiwan (February 17, 2025, The Guardian)
China has called on the United States to “correct its mistakes” after a statement that Washington does not support an independent Taiwan was removed from the State Department website. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and has refused to rule out using force to unify with the self-ruled island one day.

Religion

Kunming: Corruption in the City, Scattering of the Church (February 13, 2025, China Partnership)
The church is constantly purifying. Slowly, God is removing those who just hung around. Now, those who remain are stable. My prayer is for us to be a lampstand and witness for the Lord in this city. In the crises of the economy and human confusion, I see gospel potential. Our church strives to live out God’s word, not just talk about theology.

Creativity and Faith—A Chinese-American Perspective (February 14, 2025, ChinaSource)
For many, the words “creativity, beauty, and faith” often evoke images of a distinctly Western-centric theology and aesthetic—Renaissance paintings, stained glass windows, and grand cathedrals. But this perspective is only one part of a larger picture; every culture and community has unique ways of expressing the connection between God and a creative life.

Pastor Hsi’s Legacy: An Interpretive Commentary from South Africa (February 17, 2025, ChinaSource)
As a pastor from Durban, South Africa, of Indian origin, I am both humbled and honored to reflect on the life and ministry of Pastor Hsi (Xi Shengmo). His story, shared through the ChinaSource blog, has deeply inspired me, reminding me of the timeless truths of God’s calling and the cost of discipleship.

Breaking Hell (February 18, 2025, Chinese Church Voices)
Family holds a central place in Chinese culture, yet closer relationships often reveal deep-seated conflicts and emotional wounds. This reprinted film review from Territory (JingJie) explores a recent high-grossing Hong Kong film that delves into these complexities. Through its depiction of Taoist rituals for the deceased, the film vividly portrays the intricate entanglements and connections within a Chinese family, offering a poignant reflection on the need for true salvation to break free from the relational bondages of life.

Society / Life

Words of the Week: “Breaking in to Turn on Lights” (撬锁点灯, qiàosuǒ diǎndēng) (February 14, 2025, China Digital Times)
Earlier this month, netizens were incensed over a viral video that showed firefighters and other uniformed officers breaking into a shop in Datong, Shanxi province late at night in order to turn on the lights—ostensibly, to force the shop owner to comply with a local initiative “suggesting” that businesses in the city’s historic district leave their lights on all night to make the area look more festive for tourists during the Lunar New Year.

Robotic ExoSkeletons Help Chinese Tourists Climb the Country’s Most Punishing Mountain (February 14, 2025, CNN)
On January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, ten AI-powered exoskeletons debuted at Mount Tai (Taishan in Mandarin), attracting over 200 users for a fee of 60 yuan to 80 yuan ($8 – $11 USD) per use during a week-long trial, according to Xinhua News Agency.

What Drives China’s Tree Huggers? (February 17, 2023, Sixth Tone)
It may seem inexplicable, but in mid-2023, tree hugging was all the rage on Chinese social media. On Xiaohongshu — better known outside of China as RedNote — the hashtag #TreeHuggingHealedMe was viewed more than 2 million times in 30 days.

Economics / Trade / Business

Amid Retail Price Wars, JD.com Bets on a New Market — Food Delivery (February 14, 2025, Sixth Tone)
E-commerce giant JD.com is making a high-stakes move into China’s cutthroat food delivery market, challenging industry leaders Meituan and Ele.me as it seeks new growth beyond retail.

Xi Jinping Tells Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Chinese Tech Chiefs to ‘Show Their Talent’ (February 17, 2025, The Guardian)
The Chinese president was attending a symposium on private enterprises, where he stressed continuity in China’s economic development strategy. He also said its private business had “broad prospects and great promise” to create wealth and opportunity. China’s governance and the scale of its market give it an inherent advantage in developing new industries, Xi said.

Science / Technology

Jurassic Fossil from China Rewrites History of Bird Evolution (February 12, 2025, Reuters)
The newly identified bird, called Baminornis zhenghensis, joins the similarly aged Archaeopteryx, discovered in Germany in 1861, as the oldest-known birds. But Baminornis, about six inches (15 cm) long, was far more advanced anatomically and a better flier than crow-sized Archaeopteryx, a creature seemingly half bird and half reptile.

Chinese Scientists Develop ‘Injection’ to Make Smartphone and EV Batteries Last Longer (February 17, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Chinese scientists have developed a revolutionary repair technology that could make lithium-ion batteries last over six times longer. Announcing their discovery in the journal Nature on Wednesday, the researchers said this low-cost, eco-friendly technology could soon be ready to enter the market.

How Chinese Engineers Used Bamboo in the World’s Longest Sea Bridge, and More (February 18, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Chinese scientists have been working on new technologies to make stronger and more durable bamboo-based materials for large-scale infrastructure, reinforcing the country’s position as a leader in the emerging eco-friendly industry.

History / Culture

Exploring the Culture Behind Chinese Sugar Art (February 15, 2025 The Beijinger Blog)
If you’ve ever visited a temple fair or been to a food or night market in China, then bets are you’ve probably seen sugar paintings or sugar figurines being sold off to eager passersby. Both are a form of Chinese sugar art, a traditional Chinese folk art with a long history dating back hundreds of years.

How the CCP Co-opted an Ancient Buddhist Monk (February 17, 2025, The Diplomat)
Kumarajiva hailed from the Kucha kingdom, an ancient Buddhism kingdom that was located along the northern part of the Silk Road, in what is now modern-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. This kingdom had submitted to the Han Dynasty in the second century CE, but regained some degree of independence again during the period in which Kumarajiva was born, around the year 344 CE. 

Travel / Food 

Sustainability Success in China: Turning It Into an Experience (February 19, 2025, Chinaskinny)
In a market where viral trends can reshape industries overnight, China’s latest consumer craze – leftover blind boxes – is shaking up the food and hospitality sector. Originally an initiative to reduce food waste, the trend has evolved into a new form of smart consumption, driven by young Chinese consumers who are seeking both affordability and experience.

Living Cross Culturally

Discover Hot Maxx, China’s Answer to Dollar General (February 18, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
As expats, we know that we will pay more for imported products, and usually we just do without our favorite soap, snack or beverage from home. But every once in a while we break down and pay the premium for that nonessential but comforting item. Until you stumble across Hot Maxx, a chain of discount stores that’s a treasure trove of goods from across Europe, the Americas, and the rest of Asia at steep discounts! 

Arts / Entertainment / Media

How Chinese Mythology and Folklore are Captivating the World (February 5, 2025, South China Morning Post)
As Chinese mythology explodes on the world stage, it is poised to redefine the global entertainment market. From this year’s animated film Nezha 2 becoming the first non-Hollywood production to rake in US$1 billion at the box office, to Black Myth: Wukong’s cross-cultural appeal in the gaming world, centuries-old stories are captivating audiences like never before.

Pray for China

February 18 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On Feb. 18, 1294, Kublai Khan (忽必烈汗), the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, died in Khanbaliq (now Beijing). Kublai’s mother, Sorghaghtani Beki (唆鲁和帖尼别吉), was an influential Church of the East (Nestorian) Christian, and the Church of the East flourished among the Mongols in the 13th & 14th centuries. Pray for the Lord Jesus to be glorified by a new generation of Mongol Christians in China and Mongolia. “…Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” John 12:28

Praying for China | Prayercast (January, 2025, ChinaSource)