ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | July 16, 2015

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ZGBriefs is a compilation of news items gathered from published online sources.ChinaSource is not responsible for the content, and inclusion in ZGBriefs does not equal endorsement.

Featured Article

China Fences In Its Nomads, and an Ancient Life With (July 11, 2015, The New York Times)
In what amounts to one of the most ambitious attempts made at social engineering, the Chinese government is in the final stages of a 15-year-old campaign to settle the millions of pastoralists who once roamed China’s vast borderlands. By year’s end, Beijing claims it will have moved the remaining 1.2 million herders into towns that provide access to schools, electricity and modern health care.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

China’s Reform Is Dead? Long Live Reform (July 10, 2015, China Real Time)
In response to Beijing’s ham-fisted efforts to arrest a freefall in overvalued equity markets, China pessimists are having a field day deriding Xi Jinping’s 2013 dictum that “we must let markets be the decisive factor.” Many are going so far as to assert that reform is dead. That pronouncement is likely to prove premature.

Djibouti Likely to Become China’s First Indian Ocean Outpost (July 11, 2015, China SignPost)
China is now laying the diplomatic and legal foundations for a long-term naval presence in Djibouti, with a range of recent media reports alleging that Beijing is negotiating for naval access in the country.

Uighurs deported from Thailand were aspiring jihadists, Chinese government says (July 12, 2015, Christian Science Monitor)
Some of the Uighurs deported to China last week from Thailand had planned to go to Syria and Iraq to carry out jihad, state television said, showing pictures of them being bundled out of an aircraft with black hoods over their heads. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs keen to escape unrest in China's western Xinjiang region have traveled clandestinely via Southeast Asia to Turkey.

Beijing plans second administrative center (July 12, 2015, Xinhua)
Beijing on Saturday announced that it would speed up construction of a "subsidiary administrative center" while promising to limit its population to 23 million people.

China says top judge under investigation for corruption (July 12, 2015, Reuters)
A judge on China's highest court has come under investigation for corruption, becoming one of the most senior judicial officials to be swept up by the country's anti-graft dragnet. Xi Xiaoming, vice president of the Supreme People's Court, has been probed for "serious violations of discipline and laws," China's anti-corruption watchdog said in a brief statement on its website on Sunday.

Crackdown on human rights lawyers intensifies in China (+video) (July 13, 2015, Christian Science Monitor)
The sweeping arrest in recent days of more than 100 human rights lawyers across China and the state's depiction in public of them as “troublemakers” represents a sharp stab at one of the most active sectors of Chinese civil society amid one of the harshest such crackdowns in decades, analysts say.

China restricting passports for ethnic minorities – group (July 13, 2015, Reuters)
Chinese authorities have imposed a two-tier system for issuing passports that has made it difficult for Tibetans and members of other ethnic minorities to travel, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Monday. The system requires residents from areas that have substantial Tibetan or Muslim populations to provide more extensive documentation than other citizens, and has led to waits of up to five years or outright refusals of passports without explanation, the group said.

People’s Daily Details Allegations Against Lawyers Detained in China (July 13, 2015, Sinosphere)
At the heart of the crackdown are at least five lawyers from a firm in Beijing who have been placed under criminal detention and accused of exploiting public grievances to undermine the ruling Communist Party. Over the weekend, the Chinese state media publicized the allegations against them, accusing them of running a “criminal syndicate” that included activists who recruited protesters to put pressure on courts.

China blocks Telegram messenger, blamed for aiding human rights lawyers (July 13, 2015, Hong Kong Free Press)
Instant messaging system Telegram has been blocked in China following a massive cyber attack against the company’s Asia-Pacific operations. According to blockedinchina.net, access to Telegram’s web-version has been blocked from servers located in Beijing, Shenzhen, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Yunnan.

Chinese Police Say 3 Who Were Killed by Officers Were ‘Xinjiang Terrorists’ (July 14, 2015, The New York Times)
The police in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang said on Tuesday that they had shot and killed three men who they said belonged to a terrorist organization, and who they said lashed out with knives and shouted jihadist slogans when officers tried to enter their apartment.

A Hole in the China Dream? (July 14, 2015, China Real Time)
As China’s stock market melted down last week, President Xi Jinping and a large entourage headed off to Russia, leaving a truncated economic team to handle the mess.

Hong Kong student leaders charged over democracy protest (July 14, 2015, Reuters)
Two Hong Kong students who rose to fame during pro-democracy demonstrations that angered Beijing last year were charged on Tuesday with obstructing police during a protest earlier in the year. The charges were related to a protest outside the office of China's top official in the city, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on June 11 last year.

China’s Rapidly Changing Views on Wildlife Conservation in Africa: A China in Africa Podcast (July 14, 2015, China File)
A dramatic shift in Chinese public opinion about animal welfare and global wildlife conservation appears to be underway. Supported by high-profile celebrity campaigns by NBA legend Yao Ming and actress Li Bing Bing, there is growing awareness in China over the country’s role in the illicit African wildlife trade.

Religion

China cross demolition campaign spreads to other dioceses (July 7, 2015, UCA News)
A Chinese government-led cross demolition campaign has spread from Wenzhou to other dioceses in Zhejiang province with five Catholic churches having their crosses removed last week. The crosses on churches in Songmun, Xinhe, Muyu and Dasi of Taizhou diocese as well as the Xiaoshan Sacred Heart of Jesus Church of Hangzhou diocese were demolished July 2.

Religion in China: A Young Person’s Game (July 9, 2015, China Real Time)
A new survey by a Chinese university shows that the majority of religious believers in China are under 60 years old, in a sign that religion may be gaining appeal among young people. According to the 2015 China Religion Survey, more than half of believers in China are under the age of 60. The poll, carried out by the National Survey Research Center at Beijing’s Renmin University, didn’t give a detailed age breakdown or provide time-specific trends, saying only that “the traditional impression of ‘more elderly people’ (among followers of various faiths) is not true,” according to a summary posted online Wednesday.

Church groups demand end to cross removals in China (July 10, 2015, UCA News)
Two official Church bodies in Zhejiang have issued a joint report demanding that authorities stop removing crosses on Catholic Churches. A dozen leaders of the provincial Catholic Patriotic Association and the Church Affairs Commission, known by the acronym, Lianghui, issued the report addressed to the provincial Ethnic and Religious Commission saying, “the situation is getting more and more serious and that they had to speak out”, said a source who asked not to be named.

James Hudson Taylor, an English missionary who made his mark in China (July 12, 2015, South China Morning Post)
Born in a mining town in the north of England, James Hudson Taylor found his calling as a missionary in China. Helen Leavey looks at the long legacy of a Christian pioneer.

Raising Children In The Gospel: Responses To Two Controversial Questions (July 13, 2015, China Partnership)
It is necessary to support that being a full-time mother is a good choice, but not an absolute choice. Especially when one is already a full-time mom, or a full-time mom in a pastor’s family, or a full-time mom who has potential to become a pastor, do not make absolute suggestions; otherwise it would make others think they are not spiritual enough when they are not able to become a full-time mother. Every mom has a mentality of “not loving the children enough,” and if one is blamed by not being full-time, she will suffer from more charge and weakness.

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Tibetan lama imprisoned by China, dies at 65 (July 13, 2015, The Washington Post)
Tibetan lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has died in prison 13 years into serving a sentence for what human rights groups say were false charges that he was involved in a bombing in a public park. He was 65.

 

China set to try jailed U.S. missionary near North Korea border (July 14, 2015, Reuters)
China will begin the trial on July 28 of a Korean-American missionary arrested last year over a non-profit school he ran near the sensitive border with North Korea, his lawyer said, in a case that sparked outcry from international Christian groups. […] Supporters of Peter Hahn, the missionary, had said he was being targeted because of his Christian faith and because of the small vocational school he ran.

Society / Life

Beware: 10 Scams in China To Watch Out For (July 9, 2015, What’s on Weibo)
As times change, so do scams. In an age of smartphones and social media, Chinese scammers are more prone to abandon old tricks and use new technology for their swindling business.

Inside a Chinese 'ketamine village' (July 10, 2015, BBC)
Police in China are battling to contain the illegal recreational use of ketamine, which is soaring among the country's young people, eclipsing heroin. In the village of Boshe, underground laboratories are producing ketamine cheaply in large amounts.

Learning is a Treasure: My First Visit to China (July 10, 2015, From the West Courtyard)
So, what did I take away from my first visit to the land of the Great Wall? What were the answers to my questions? Well, quite simply put, more questions, and a new-found appreciation for a culture completely different from my own, and an understanding that even 12 time zones don’t separate the basic common lives that we lead.

Typhoon Chan-hom: China evacuates 865,000 people and cancels flights (July 11, 2015, The Guardian)
The super-typhoon has brought wind gusts of up to 200km per hour and may be the most powerful to hit China since the communists took power in 1949.

China's rich seek shelter from stock market storm in foreign property (July 12, 2015, The Guardian)
Australia, Britain and Canada brace for surge in interest after signs Chinese buyers are seeking safe-haven property markets in wake of stock market volatility.

Has China silenced its bloggers? (July 12, 2015, BBC)
Two years ago Sina Weibo – China's equivalent of Twitter – was crawling with tales of political scandal. Today those stories are harder to find, and government figures suggest the online community in the country has become more docile. What happened?

China's Elusive Quest For 'Values' (July 13, 2015, Forbes)
The Chinese of today are seeking a new set of values that correspond to the new circumstances of their country. The Chinese Communist leadership – “Communist” in name only – worries. The challenges for China in the early 21st century are totally novel. There is no precedent that can help serve as guidance. This is uncharted territory.

Five Major Risks to Flying in Asia (July 13, 2015, Wall Street Journal)
Asia is the world’s fastest-growing aviation market. But experts worry the continent is ill-equipped to handle the increasing traffic. Here are the major risks, illustrated through the course of a fictional flight.

A Discussion of the Divorce Rate (July 14, 2015, Chinese Church Voices)
On July 8, Global Times, an English language newspaper in China published an editorial in response to statistics recently released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on the divorce rate in China. It was only one of numerous editorials and comment pieces examining divorce in China. The Christian Times took a look at some of the commentary, and offered their own opinion. 

Education

Coming Home: Many Chinese Studying Abroad Disappointed in Jobs Back Home (July 8, 2015, China File)
More Chinese students headed abroad for university studies last year, but many of those returning for work expressed disappointment not only about their pay, but also about the types of companies employing them.

Health / Environment

China says 75 percent of cities failed to meet air standards in June (July 13, 2015, Reuters)
Nearly 75 percent of China's big cities failed to meet air quality standards in June, the environment ministry said on Monday, an improvement over the same month last year, as the country continues to wage "war on pollution."

Economics / Trade / Business

Using WeChat to Grow Your Business in China (July 9, 2015, China Briefing)
When considering the mobile commerce industry in China, one name stands out. Tencent’s WeChat has long been impacting the lives of Chinese consumers, and with its move to digital payment systems it now has the ability to revolutionize the mobile commerce industry in China. WeChat has a massive scale, with over 468 million monthly active global users and 25 percent of users checking WeChat over 30 times a day.

5 Casualties of the Chinese Market Crash (July 10, 2015, China Real Time)
The Chinese stock market rebounded strongly on Thursday and Friday morning. But the two-week market rout has left lasting damages in areas such as consumer and investor confidence. Here are five groups affected by the volatility in Chinese markets.

Signs of a Growing Hush in China’s Economy (July 10, 2015, The New York Times)
As China’s stock market tumbled over the last month, some wealthy apartment owners began trying to sell. Shopping malls became quieter. And customers at automobile dealerships across the country asked to defer delivery and payment for previously ordered cars.

China's Stock Market Plunge Hits Small Investors (July 11, 2015, NPR)
First-time investors were the hardest hit by China's stock market crash. Many who rushed to invest didn't have a high school education. NPR's Wade Goodwyn talks to economist Tom Orlik of Bloomberg.

China's stock market turbulence is over? Don't count on it (July 12, 2015, The Guardian)
The extraordinary recent boom-bust trading pattern appears to have been halted, but China’s growth model has to change and become less reliant on investment.

Making Sense of China’s Market Mess (July 12, 2015, China File)
The government did encourage the stock bubble, and its blundering intervention last week did undermine the credibility of its commitment to markets. Yet there is another way of looking at things that is both less dire and better attuned to China’s complexities.

Science / Technology

13 Million Guangdong Migrants Could Gain Permanent Residence By 2020 (July 10, 2015, China Real Time)
Guangdong authorities aim to grant local household registration to roughly 13 million migrant workers by 2020, allowing them to access public services—spanning housing, health-care, social security and education—that are typically reserved for urban residents.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Documenting history: A look at contemporary China through the eyes of its artists (July 4, 2015, The Economist)
Two thousand Neolithic axe-heads have been arranged with patient precision. An exploration of China’s heritage by Ai Weiwei, the work is the dramatic centrepiece of an exhibition of Chinese art of the last four decades at the Whitworth museum in Manchester, which was named British Museum of the Year 2015 on July 1st.

Shanghai Disney Resort Puts Chinese Culture in a Starring Role (July 10, 2015, Skift)
Whether it’s the giant glass peony blossom representing nobility and good fortune at the center of a fairy-bedecked fountain, the “lucky” cloud patterns painted on some spires of the massive castle dwarfing the park, or the traditional dim sum restaurant in the Disneytown night life area, every detail will exhibit a heavy dose of mainland history and customs.

Travel / Food

Dispatches From the Silk Road: The Must-Try Uyghur Food of Kashgar (July 8, 2015, Serious Eats)
For two millennia, the oasis city has enticed travelers with labyrinthine alleys filled with the smoke of char-grilled meat, the scent of spice, and the hawker cries of pomegranate vendors. But while it lies in the region of Xinjiang, within China's borders, Kashgar's cuisine shares little with traditional Chinese food.

Books

The Mysteries of Stolen Chinese Boxes, Versailles and Shantung – Robert Goddard’s The Corners of the Globe (July 12, 2015, China Rhyming)
Last year I blogged about the first book in Robert Goddard’s The Wide World trilogy, The Ways of the World, which begins with events at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 – Those that like a little alternative history should enjoy the series as it partly resolves around the machinations over the Shantung Question at Versailles.

Articles in Chinese

中心发布《中国宗教调查报告(2015)(July 15, 2015, National Survey Research Center at Renmin University)

Image credit: Traffic Jam, by Kevin Scheonmakers, via Flickr

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Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio