ZGBriefs | February 24, 2022

Featured Article

3 Lessons for Chinese Churches from Herman Bavinck (February 18, 2022, Christianity Today)
The Dutch theologian’s concern for the catholic, contextual, and public nature of the Christian faith can help congregations overcome sectarianism and stereotypes.

Sponsored Link

Public Lecture: The Rise of China and What it Means for the Church
China’s transformation since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 has been dramatic. What have been the implications of this transformation for the Church in China? How has this affected relations with the Vatican and the wider Christian community? Rev. Paul Mariani will provide an overview of leadership policy in China, then focus on how its current leaders see their “historical mission.” How does this backdrop help us to better understand the developments of the past ten years leading up to today?
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
5:00 pm PT 
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA

A collaborative public lecture series hosted by the US-China Catholic Association, ChinaSource, and the China Academic Consortium​ and co-sponsored by SCU History Department and SCU Sociology Department.

If you or your company/organization would like to sponsor a link in ZGBriefs, please contact info@chinasource.org for more information.

Special Section: Olympics

The Online Slang of the Beijing Winter Olympics (February 18, 2022, The World of Chinese)
Learn some of the Winter Olympics slang popular with Chinese netizens.

5 notable pieces of Chinese tech at the 2022 Winter Olympics (February 18, 2022, Technode)
As Beijing prepares to close the 2022 Winter Olympics, TechNode selects five notable pieces of technology built by Chinese companies that left an impression during the two-week games.

What Eileen Gu Means to China (February 19, 2022, Sixth Tone)
Depending on your perspective, she’s either American as apple pie or the quintessential product of Chinese “tiger parenting” — a traitor or a trailblazer. But if there’s one thing we should all be able to agree on, it’s that Eileen Gu has dominated the Beijing Winter Olympics like no one else.

In praise of Beijing 2022’s coolest venue, Big Air Shougang (February 22, 2022, Sup China)
Lots of snarky comments were directed at the site of the big air competition during the Olympics. But Big Air Shougang, an industrial park built around an abandoned steel factory, is a showcase for urban transformation.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Ukraine crisis tests China-Russia partnership (February 21, 2022, AP)
Russia and China have backed each other’s positions on opposing a NATO expansion in former Soviet republics and buttressing China’s claim to the self-governing island of Taiwan. But the relationship remains lopsided. China’s confident rise as an economic and political force contrasts with Russia’s growing isolation and reversion to Cold War tactics of intimidation and bullying.

How China Under Xi Jinping Is Turning Away From the World (February 23, 2022, The New York Times) (subscription required)
Global engagement has helped the nation prosper. But now, its leader seems intent on recasting the meeting of minds and cultures as a zero-sum clash.

Nixon’s trip to China laid the groundwork for normalizing U.S.-China relations (February 23, 2022, NPR)
It’s been 50 years since President Nixon went to China, a trip that changed the world’s balance of power. The fate of Taiwan was not addressed, and the issue still stalks U.S.-China relations.

Religion

Chinese court jails Christian pastor for eight years (February 18, 2022, UCA News)
A district court in central China has sentenced a female Christian pastor to eight years in prison for refusing to join Three-Self Church, a state-controlled body regulating Protestant churches. Echeng District Court in Ezhou in Hubei province sentenced Hao Zhiwei, 51, pastor of a house church in Ezhou, on charges of fraud on Feb. 11, China Aid reported on Feb. 15.

The Seed of the Church and the Modern Missions Movement (February 21, 2022, ChinaSource Blog)
In 2017 I was privileged to visit a church near the city of Qujing in Yunnan province. This church was established by Pentecostal missionaries, Max and Emily Bernheim, in the 1930s. The Bernheims, along with one son, were murdered by bandits in 1940. This tragic event left their five remaining children orphans. The bodies of Max, Emily, and their son, David, were not found until late in 2015. The church discovered the site of their burial and moved their bones to the church’s current location in 2016.

A Mother Grows in Faith (February 22, 2022, Chinese Church Voices)
This article from Jingjie tells the story of the heartbreaking challenges that a mother faced after she left her job as a department director to care for her family full time and how God has worked to bring about spiritual growth, comforting and supporting the entire family.

Serving China’s Missionary Church (February 23, 2022, ChinaSource Blog)
Despite pandemic travel restrictions, persistent tightening at home, and hostility toward the gospel in many countries to which they are sent, China’s missionaries continue to venture forth in obedience to the great commission.

Society / Life

He loved Hong Kong. Its COVID crackdown made him leave without even saying goodbye (February 20, 2022, NPR)
So last summer, at the tail end of a two-month trip to the U.S., he decided not to go back to Hong Kong. “I sent for my stuff, and it’s on a ship,” he says. “After 27 years living in Hong Kong, I left without even knowing I was leaving, and I didn’t say goodbye to anybody.”

WATCH: The Untold Story of Shanghai’s Generations-old Rice Farmers (February 23, 2022, Radii China)
“In a city that’s changing as much as Shanghai, maybe the most courageous thing you can do is remain the same.”

China population: rust-belt province Heilongjiang unveils plan to halt exodus of residents, boost births(February 23, 2022, South China Morning Post)
Heilongjiang’s population has plummeted by 16 per cent, or 6.46 million, from a decade ago, according to data from China’s 2020 census. The provincial government has promised to promote Beijing’s three-child policy and launch incentives for couples to have children

China’s investigation confirms chained woman was trafficked (February 23, 2022, ABC News)
Chinese authorities have detained six people and fired eight lower-level Communist Party officials in a provincial-level investigation of the case of a trafficked woman that caused national outrage and frustration.

Economics / Trade / Business

How much longer can China’s economy handle ‘zero-Covid’? (February 22, 2022, CNN)
CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout examines the growing economic impact of China’s tough “zero-Covid” policies — from a slump in domestic spending on the Mainland to logistics issues and a “brain drain” of talent in Hong Kong.

Health / Environment

‘No light at the end’: How Hong Kong’s Covid response went so wrong (February 19, 2022, The Guardian)
Hong Kong has been smashed by a wave of Omicron. It has recorded more than 16,600 cases so far this year, surpassing the Covid totals for 2020 and 2021 combined. At the moment there are about 5,000 people in hospital or isolation, though fewer than 20 are critical and about 60 in a serious condition.

Amid Fewer Births, Beijing Adds Fertility Treatments to Insurance (February 23, 2022, Sixth Tone)
Health authorities in Beijing said they will include 16 assisted reproductive technologies under the city’s public medical insurance scheme, as the country seeks to introduce new measures to boost the country’s declining birth rates.

How China’s Medical Personnel Deal With ‘Zero COVID’ (February 23, 2022, Sixth Tone)
An infectious diseases doctor talks about her experience fighting four coronavirus waves in Zhengzhou.

History / Culture

Historical footage shows Nixon’s visit to China 50 years ago (February 21, 2022, CNN)
On February 21, 1972, then US President Nixon made a historic visit to mainland China to meet Chinese leader Mao Zedong. It was a controversial move intended to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing and pave the way for the normalization of relations. 

One American life, set on new course by Nixon’s China visit (February 22, 2022, AP)
Though I didn’t realize the momentousness of it at first, we were one of the earliest American families to move to China in the months after it and the United States normalized relations. For this, I had Richard Nixon to thank.

Interview: ‘It began with a secret trip by Kissinger and myself’ (February 22, 2022, Radio Free Asia)
When we went in July ’71, it was to prepare for the presidential trip. And we knew we would be seeing Zhou Enlai, but that it was not appropriate to meet with the chairman: that would be reserved for the President’s trip.

On Thin Ice: When Dutch Traders Challenged the Qing Empire for Skating Glory (February 22, 2022, The World of Chinese)
Historian Tonio Andrade recalls a mostly forgotten moment of 18th century Chinese diplomacy and winter sports history.

Video: 1976 documentary about the Tangshan earthquake (Everyday Life in Maoist China)

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Hollywood relies on China to stay afloat. What does that mean for movies? (February 21, 2022, NPR)
Today’s Hollywood blockbusters are specifically being crafted to appeal to Chinese audiences — and pass muster with the Chinese government — according to Wall Street Journal reporter Erich Schwartzel.

How a Band from China’s Industrial Heartland Captured the Emotions of a Generation (February 23, 2022, Radii China)
Despite an experimental sound and just two album releases in a decade, Omnipotent Youth Society has remained one of China’s most relatable rock bands since 2010.

Language / Language Learning

The Weirdest Pinyin Ever (February 23, 2022, SinoSplice)
It just looks so wrong, but it’s actually correct, if you ignore the fact that the N (И) and D (ᗡ) are written backwards. It still kinda hurts my brain, though.

Books

When Paul Robeson Sang for China (February 22, 2022, China File)
From the 1920s to 1940s, Paul Robeson was one of the most prominent African American performers. A barrier-breaking actor and singer, he released hundreds of songs and performed in major theatrical productions. Trained as a lawyer, Robeson was also an activist who advocated for labor rights and racial justice during the years of Jim Crow laws. During the Second World War, he took up China’s cause in its fight against Japan, holding concerts to raise awareness and funds. Building on a tradition that had developed during the Harlem Renaissance, Robeson, “consistently articulated the linkage between African and Chinese civilizations,” writes Gao Yunxiang in her new book, Arise Africa! Roar, China!: Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century.

Links for Researchers

Chinese Soft Power (Cambridge University Press)
This Element presents an overarching analysis of Chinese visions and practices of soft power. Maria Repnikova’s analysis introduces the Chinese theorization of the idea of soft power, as well as its practical implementation across global contexts. The key channels or mechanisms of China’s soft power examined include Confucius Institutes, international communication, education and training exchanges, and public diplomacy spectacles. The discussion concludes with suggestions for new directions for the field, drawing on the author’s research on Chinese soft power in Africa.

Pray for China

February 25 (Pray for China: A Walk Through History)
On Feb. 25, 2016, Pastor Bao Guohua (包国华牧师), and his wife Xing Wenxiang (刑文香师母), were given 14 and 12 year sentences respectively for their roles in resisting the destruction of churches and crosses in Wenzhou. Pray for the Lord to comfort and strengthen persecuted Christians, including the Baos and their son, Bao Chenxing (包晨星). I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? Isaiah 51:12-13