ZGBriefs | January 9, 2025

Featured Article

Podcast – What’s In a Name? Peter Hessler on What English Names Can Reveal about China (December 23, 2024, Chinese Whispers)
Why do so many Chinese people choose such curious English names? You must have come across this phenomenon – whether they are names from a past century, or surnames, nouns or even adjectives used as first names, or words that aren’t real at all. I have a particular interest in this because my English name – Cindy – isn’t exactly in vogue these days. You might think this is a bit of a trivial question, but I think the question of English names goes deeper than just some odd words. I think these names reveal something about the China that gave rise to them.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Can China Ever Weed out Corruption in Its Military? (December 31, 2024, The Diplomat)
Try as he might, it is clear that Xi Jinping cannot rid his military of the insidious corruption that defines its workings much more than the count of warships and nuclear warheads ever can. Another spate of Chinese military corruption cases serves as a reminder that a decades-long practice and culture of corruption continues to flourish within and among the ranks and relationships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). 

China’s Silence Over Russia-North Korea Ties an Opportunity for the US (January 2, 2025, East Asia Forum)
To China, North Korea is both a strategic asset and liability. Historically, China and North Korea have maintained a close partnership, signing a mutual defence treaty in 1961 that remains in place today. China accounts for 90 per cent of all trade with North Korea and is an economic lifeline for the Kim regime. But China also views North Korea’s nuclear program as a destabilising force and has supported various efforts to denuclearise the Korean peninsula. 

Why Xi Jinping’s $85 Billion Legacy City Is Standing Empty (January 3, 2025, The Times)
The traffic runs smoothly, and this may in part be due to the efficiency of Xiong’an’s futuristic town planning, its networks of fibre optic cables buried underground that operate everything from facial recognition systems to — theoretically — self-driving cars. Or it may just be that there is hardly any traffic.

China and Russia Stride Hand-in-Hand Into the New Year (January 6, 2025, China Digital Times)
Xi Jinping exchanged New Year greetings with Vladimir Putin last week, saying that both countries have always moved forward “hand in hand” on the right path. China Daily said both leaders vowed to “foster cooperation, deepen ties.” Recently, Igor Morgulov, the Russian ambassador to China, said that Xi will visit Russia in 2025 and that both countries will put up a “double resistance” to pressure from the U.S.-led West.

Religion

China State Media Launches ‘China-U.S. Friendship Stories’ Campaign at Kuliang Forum, Rooted in Missionary Legacy (January 1, 2025, China Christian Daily)
The forum was held in Beijing on December 20, 2024, aiming to enhance understanding and promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. It brought together over 150 representatives from the political, academic, media, and business sectors, as well as youth and members of the “Friends of Kuliang” organization.

Year Two of Praying for China’s Cities (January 2, 2025, China Partnership)
At China Partnership, we place a high value on cities. As I wrote in my introductory piece to 2024, Chinese cities have a special place in the work of the kingdom of God. Because of this belief, we spent all of 2024 praying for Chinese cities. We prayed for a different city each month, drawing our prayer requests from the Christians that call those cities home. The feedback we have received from this prayer focus–as well as our own internal experience–has been fantastic. So much so, that in 2025 we’re going to do it all over again.

Continuing Partnership Beyond the Golden Age: Stepping Out (January 3, 2025, ChinaSource)
As the golden age for missions in China fades, the dynamics of ministry are changing drastically. Foreign workers are being forced to leave, and local churches are facing increasing repression. In this challenging environment, how can the international community continue supporting and walking alongside their beloved Chinese brothers and sisters? A recent trip I took offered deep reflections on a new model of partnership and how God continues to pour out his love and carry out his work in China.

A Son’s Gratitude (January 6, 2025, ChinaSource)
Up until this point in my life, it always felt that my love for Theology and Chinese were together an odd combination, or potentially a fluke of random chance. To say this conference changed my perspective on that would be a vast understatement. I finally met over 100 people who not only shared a similar interest and desires, but had so many unique ways in which they were living out this same calling we shared, in cities across the US, China, and Taiwan.

The Immigrant Church…in Southeast Asia: Part 2 (January 6, 2025, China Partnership)
Many Chinese are settling in other Asian countries, places not so far from their original home, countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and other southeast Asian destinations. Among the current diaspora are many Christians, including house church pastors. In this season of tumult, Chinese believers are considering how to continue sharing the gospel with other Chinese who are either unsettled or in the process of re-settling. While these changes present challenges to the spread of the gospel, it is also an important opportunity, one the church wants to meet intentionally.

Meeting Gen Z where They Are—An Insider’s Perspective (January 7, 2025, Chinese Church Voices)
As a member of Gen Z, I understand the pressures and challenges facing young people today. As a Christian, I also experience the struggles of living a Christian life and recognize the difficulties the church faces in attracting and retaining young believers. This article will discuss young people’s views on church life and explore how the church can better draw and keep them.

Society / Life

The Year in Memes: China’s Viral Moments of 2024 (January 2, 2025, The World of Chinese)
Despite the challenges of a slowed economy, where many young Chinese face mounting pressures in the job market, humor remains a powerful escape. Memes have become a way for many to cope, celebrate shared struggles, and transform the mundane into moments of absurdity. Here’s our list of the viral moments of 2024.

The Man Making a Business Out of China’s Burnout Generation (January 7, 2025, The Guardian)
Heartify began with 20 people meeting at a Taiwanese restaurant in Beijing’s 798 Art District. Today it employs 100 instructors, along with dozens of volunteers, to teach a “night school” that hosts classes and workshops dedicated to wellbeing. Customers pay the equivalent of £50 to attend six weekly two-hour seminars. Each course explores a different therapeutic method, from meditation and flower arranging to farming and ancient Chinese philosophy. In the three and a half years of Heartify’s existence, tens of thousands of people have participated in its programmes.

Video – The ‘New China’ in Thailand: ‘If You Want Hope, You Have to Leave’ (January 7, 2025, The Guardian)
After 30 years of relentless growth and capitalism, a new trend has emerged in China. The search for a simpler, calmer life is leading some Chinese people to seek a life abroad. The trend is so popular that it’s gained its own internet buzzword: the ‘run philosophy’. Chiang mai, in northern Thailand is the country’s second biggest city. It’s a tourist hotspot popular with backpackers but has recently become an unlikely second home for thousands of Chinese people seeking alternative lifestyles.

Blogging on the ‘Little Red Book’ (January 7, 2025, Made In China Journal)
With the rise of the ‘She Economy’, Xiaohongshu has emerged as a leading social media and e-commerce platform for women. Branded as a ‘lifestyle platform’, Xiaohongshu (n.d.) combines ‘authentic, community-shared content’ with e-commerce. According to the Qian-Gua Database (2024), a third-party organisation specialising in Xiaohongshu data analytics and consultancy, women make up about 80 per cent of Xiaohongshu’s active users, with urban mothers representing 22 per cent of this group. As China’s influencer economy expands, many mothers are drawn to the platform to build audiences by sharing their lives, from childcare to consumption.

Economics / Trade / Business

Why Apple Is Offering Rare iPhone Discounts in China (January 3, 2025, BBC News)
“Apple’s strategy has changed to adapt to the change in Chinese consumers’ shopping behavior,” said Will Wong, a senior research manager for market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC). “The value seeking trend has made price discounts more attractive to consumers. Apple may fall behind other competitors if it doesn’t adopt such a pricing strategy.”

Will China’s Policymakers Grasp the Nettle in 2025? (January 6, 2025, East Asia Forum)
China’s economy wrestled with both cyclical and secular challenges in 2024, and policymakers were not bold enough tackling either. The secular challenges and the reforms that could combat them have been well known for at least a decade, and a golden opportunity to address them within the Party’s formulaic policy cycle was arguably lost in 2024. To reinvigorate the economy, decisive action is needed to reinstate confidence levels. Key areas of focus ought to be boosting domestic consumption, resolving fiscal contradictions and restructuring key industries.

Health / Environment

40,000 Punished in China’s Medical Corruption Crackdown, Including Over 350 Top Figures (January 1, 2025, South China Morning Post)
More than 350 prominent figures in China’s healthcare industry were punished in last year’s anti-corruption campaign as Beijing doubled down on its sweeping crackdown. According to a report from the National Supervisory Commission (NSC), China’s top anti-corruption watchdog, Beijing has worked to “thoroughly investigate” cases in which healthcare professionals exploit medical services and misuse insurance funds.

Powerful Earthquake Rocks Remote Region of Tibet anb Parts of Nepal, Killing More than 120 (January 7, 2025, CNN)
More than 120 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet on Tuesday morning, with tremors felt across the Himalayas in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India. The 7.1-magnitude quake struck at 9:05 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and was followed by multiple aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Travel / Food 

China’s Harbin Winter Festival Opens with Record-Breaking Ice and Snow Display (January 7, 2025, South China Morning Post)
The 41st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival opened on Sunday, attracting more than 800,000 visitors on its first day.The annual event is held in China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang. This year’s show has expanded to cover 1 million square metres (11 million sq ft), with around 300,000 cubic metres of ice and snow used to make landmark buildings and sculptures – the largest amount ever used for the festival.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Remembering China’s ‘Godfather of Jazz’ (January 1, 2025, Sixth Tone)
New Year’s usually brings a fresh start, but for Chinese jazz fans, this Jan. 1 is all about the past, as clubs in Beijing and Shanghai hold a joint concert in honor of what would have been saxophonist Liu Yuan’s 65th birthday.

The Year in Chinese Cinema: Movies of 2024 (January 1, 2024, The World of Chinese)
Many of these films highlighted previously unexplored topics, such as untold history of WWII, women-centered stories, flawed parenting across generations, and mental health issues among children. Here’s our list of the movies of the year:

The Many Faces of the People’s Daily (January 6, 2025, China Media Project)
While it is the most representative of the Party leadership, the People’s Daily newspaper, first launched in 1946, is not the only face of this Party-run media group. The paper’s parent organization, the People’s Daily Press (人民日报社), is in fact, a sprawling media empire. The group oversees a portfolio of 34 periodicals as well as a wide array of newer digital products. It runs a health magazine, a history journal, a newspaper for gearheads, and even the RV Times (房车时代), a periodical for recreational vehicle enthusiasts.

Language / Language Learning

What Native Speakers Know About Chinese (and What They Don’t) (January 4, 2025, Hacking Chinese)
People learn to use language according to their needs and interests. Most don’t have a specific interest in the language itself, how it works, or how to learn or teach it. Assuming that they do will lead you astray. Since you’re reading this article, you’re probably interested in learning Chinese and might also be interested in language in general. You notice how things are different in your native language compared to Mandarin and think about how we say things in different languages and why. Most people don’t do this.

Mandarin Monday: 2024’s Top Ten Chinese Buzzwords (January 6, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
Each year, a selection of buzzwords captures the evolving zeitgeist of Chinese society, offering insights into its priorities, challenges and aspirations. From groundbreaking technological advancements to shifts in cultural attitudes, 2024 was a year of dynamic change, now let’s take a look at the top ten buzzwords.

History

How Is Former US President Jimmy Carter Remembered in China and Taiwan? (January 2, 2025, Global Voices)
In the US, Carter is remembered as a leader who was devoted to maintaining world peace in alignment with democracy, human rights, and Christian values. In mainland China, he was often dubbed “an old friend of China” as he played a pivotal role in cutting ties with the Republic of China (ROC, also known as Taiwan) and establishing diplomatic relations between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) during his presidency.

Archaeologists Found a Hidden 2,000-Year-Old Statue of a Commander of the Terracotta Army (January 3, 2025, Popular Mechanics)
China’s famed terracotta warrior army is adding to its ranks. Archaeologists recently discovered yet another statue, this one believed to depict a high-ranking commander—a rare find among the thousands of life-size warriors created over 2,000 years ago.

Living Cross-Culturally

A Reminder of China’s 2025 Holiday Calendar (January 4, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
2025 is here which means it’s not long until Spring Festival, so here’s a reminder of this year’s public holidays. First of all, this year has two extra public holidays! An extra day has been added to both the Spring Festival and May Day holidays, with everyone now getting Chinese New Year’s Eve (Jan 28) and May 2 off.

Pray for China

January 5 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On Jan. 5, 1894, educator Xu Yizhen (徐亦蓁女士) was born into a Christian family in Jiangsu. In 1919, she was one of the first graduates of the newly opened Christian college, Ginling Women’s College, and in 1928, she became the first Chinese board chair at Ginling. Xu played key roles in the development of medical and educational work, as well as relief work after the outbreak of war in 1937. After the war, she moved to the U.S., became a university teacher, and lived out her life there. Pray for board members, teachers, and students at seminaries and Bible training schools in China to exalt the God of their salvation. The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation! Psalm 18:46