ZGBriefs | March 17, 2016

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. Please go here to support ZGBriefs.

Featured Article

A short documentary: The end of the Chinese miracle (March 9, 2016, Financial Times)
China's economic miracle is under threat from a slowing economy and a dwindling labour force. The FT investigates how the world's most populous country has reached a critical new chapter in its history. Jamil Anderlini narrates.

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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

China’s Censors Denounced in Online Attack (March 11, 2016, The New York Times)
China’s formidable propaganda apparatus came under renewed attack on Friday, when a denunciation spread online in the name of an employee of Xinhua, the main state-run news agency. The letter accused censors of using tactics reminiscent of Maoist times to silence and smear critics.

Podcast: Taiwan's New Direction (March 13, 2016, Asia Society)
In this fifth episode of the Asia Society Podcast, we explore how Taiwan has continued to drift further away from the mainland psychologically, and what the implications are of a new Taiwanese government that's less friendly with Beijing.

Chinese media typo calls President Xi Jinping the 'last leader' (March 14, 2016, BBC)
China's state news agency has had to issue a correction after it referred to President Xi Jinping as "China's last leader", an apparent copyediting error. Xinhua later amended the copy, which had by then been widely reused, and asked outlets to change the reference to "China's top leader".

Chinese Judge Criticizes Televised Confessions (march 15, 2016, China Real Time)
Chinese media have no business deciding guilt or innocence, a high-ranking Chinese judge said in a recent interview in Beijing, becoming the latest influential legal figure to criticize the government’s new penchant for televised confessions.

The Politics of the Overseas NGO Management Law (March 15, 2016, NGOs in China)
Fu Ying’s admission that the draft law is essentially in legislative limbo is revealing in what it tells us about the politics behind the law.

The U.S. is heading toward a dangerous showdown with China (March 15, 2016, The Washington Post)
What makes this dispute so explosive is that it pits an American president who needs to affirm his credibility as a strong leader against a risk-taking Chinese president who has shown disregard for U.S. military power and who faces potent political enemies at home.

China's Legislative Session: Many Stars, But Little Power (March 15, 2016, NPR)
The annual session of China's legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), is an elaborate, theatrical gathering of China's rich, powerful and famous: Here you'll find generals, billionaires and movie stars — even basketball giant Yao Ming.

The unasked — and unanswered — questions at the Chinese premier’s annual news  conference (March 16, 2016, The Washington Post)
In the two-hour news conference, Li Keqiang took pre-approved questions from foreign and domestic media. Some foreign journalists refused to take part, unwilling to submit questions for vetting, but many others did. The questions that are chosen — and those that are not — can be as revealing as the answers they receive.

Chinese website publishes, then pulls, explosive letter calling for President Xi’s resignation (March 16, 2016, The Washington Post)
The letter, signed "loyal Communist Party members," lambasts China's president for "abandoning the principle of collective leadership," for concentrating power in his own hands and "indulging" flatterers. Xi's declaration that the press should serve the party, not the people "dismayed the whole nation," it charges.

The Good — And Bad — About China’s New Charity Law (March 16, 2016, China Real Time)
Good news for civic-minded Chinese citizens: The country has a new law that promises to expand, rather than restrict, the space for them to act. The bad news? The law could encounter resistance from local government officials, and maybe even from some of the nonprofit groups it’s intended to help.

Unofficial Poll on Legislative Proposals Hints at Chinese Priorities (March 16, 2016, The New York Times)
Ban eating cats and dogs. Raise teachers’ pay. Make the college entrance exam the same for everyone throughout China. These three proposals by delegates at the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature, and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body, which just concluded, received the most support from Chinese Internet users in an unofficial poll.

China approves new five-year plan as Li reassures on economy (March 16, 2016, BBC)
The National People's Congress ended with the adoption of a new five-year plan for the economy, aiming for 6.5-7% growth a year by 2020. Measures include cutting high debt, streamlining state-owned enterprises, and reforming financial markets.

Students at Hong Kong’s Oldest University Are Calling for the City’s Independence (March 16, 2016, TIME)
A leading student magazine in Hong Kong has issued a statement in favor of the territory gaining independence from China, as a growing movement to push back against perceived encroachment by the mainland continues to gain traction.

Religion

Dancing with Elephants (March 11, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Ministry partnerships are complex and challenging. Throw in the cross-cultural dimension and one is certain to encounter some form of conflict. As Westerners, our first reaction is to confront and resolve. Unfortunately, our swift and direct action may leave our Chinese colleagues reeling from the confrontation and feeling hurt.

Pragmatic Religiosity (March 14, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
I got a glimpse of this "pragmatic religiosity" a number of years ago when I was still living in China. Some friends invited me to join them for a day in the mountains west of Beijing to visit some ancient Buddhist and Taoist temples. It was a nice weekend and I always enjoyed an excuse to head to the hills, so off we went.

Tianhe Church, the Largest Ever Church in Guangzhou Will Open Soon (March 15, 2016, China Christian Daily)
Tianhe Church, the largest-ever church in Guangzhou, will open soon. Combined with traditional Chinese culture and modern feature, it's going to be a landmark of Christianity in Guangzhou.

No Tolerance for ‘Wild Imams’ in China – But ‘Weibo Imams’ are Thriving (March 15, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
This week, Weibo netizens voiced their anger about what they deemed an unfair trial for a Xinjiang imam by the District Court. Chinese authorities have no tolerance for what they call ‘wild imams’ – but online imams are thriving on Weibo.

Pastors Reflect on Preparing for Easter (March 15, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
In the year 2016, Easter Sunday will fall on March 27th. Easter is an important holiday for Christians when they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. However, many Christians do not know now to prepare themselves for Easter. Here are some suggestions from various pastors around China.

3 Questions: Transparency and Generosity (March 16, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
With the growth of the philanthropy sector in China comes a greater awareness of the need for transparency in the nonprofit sector. What do you see as the relationship between transparency and generosity?

Are Chinese Christians really persecuted? (March 16, 2016, UCA News)
While the international narrative states that Christians in China face daily persecution, the story on the ground may tell something entirely different and more nuanced.

Life in Purgatory: Buddhism Is Growing in China, But Remains in Legal Limbo (March 16, 2016, TIME)
While Chinese have flocked to Confucian temples and Christian churches, the biggest beneficiary is Buddhism. Official statistics don’t exist, but the Pew Research Center, which surveys religious belief worldwide, estimates some 245 million Buddhists in China, around 18% of the total national population. Another 21% of Chinese adhere to folk religions that often incorporate Buddhist beliefs, according to Pew.

Churches face shortage of clergy (March 16, 2016, China Daily)
Roman Catholic and Protestant groups in China face a severe shortage of clergy as the number of followers continues to rise, according to church leaders.

Society / Life

Disability and the Three Traditional Chinese Belief Systems: Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism (March 7, 2016, ChinaSource Quarterly)
Until recent decades, Chinese society labeled individuals with disabilities as canfei ren, literally “disabled garbage people.” Now, the official term is canji ren, literally “disabled sick people,” although the Chinese government removes “sick” when providing an English translation.

Observations of Dynamics in Families Affected by Autism: Lessons from China and the West (March 7, 2016, ChinaSource Quarterly)
Families affected by disability have a number of common emotions and experiences regardless of ethnicity or geographical location. This paper looks at common concerns, struggles, and hopes that parents face when their child is diagnosed with a disability.

Awash in Empty Homes, China Asks Migrant Workers to Settle Down (March 9, 2016, The New York Times)
China is looking for ways to get migrant workers to help buy up a huge glut of unsold homes that is dragging down the country’s economic growth. Chinese leaders have eased taxes and down payment requirements. They are taking new steps to offer mortgages. And they have eased the tough laws that traditionally have kept migrant workers from putting down roots in big cities.

China Detains Dozens of Ethnic Mongolians Amid Ongoing Grassland Protest (March 9, 2016, Radio Free Asia)
Chinese authorities in the northern region of Inner Mongolia have detained more than 20 ethnic Mongolian herders following protests in recent weeks for giving interviews to foreign media organizations, a U.S.-based rights group said on Wednesday.

China netizens outraged over 'fat face divorce' case (March 11, 2016, BBC)
A report about a woman who said she had repeated plastic surgery after her husband divorced her because she had a "fat face" has sparked outrage among China's online community.

China to begin civilian flights to disputed South China Sea island (March 11, 2016, The Guardian)
China will begin civilian flights to and from a disputed South China Sea island within a year, state media reported on Friday, as the government expands infrastructure on islands and reefs also claimed by other countries in the region.

Study finds wide gaps between rural, urban children (March 14, 2016, China Daily)
The first results from an ongoing child development study in China show wide disparities between rural and urban children in both living conditions and development outcomes such as physical health and social and emotional well-being.

Why Does China Lag Behind on Charitable Giving? (March 15, 2016, China Real Time)
Despite propelling scores of freshly minted tycoons into the ranks of the global rich during the long economic boom, China lags behind when it comes to philanthropy. A new law on charitable activities aims to uncork that untapped reserve of giving.

Video: A look inside China's first finishing school (March 16, 2016, BBC)
Deportment lessons may seem the preserve of the European elite, but China is now getting in on the act. Hong Kong-born Sara Jane Ho, who went to boarding school and university in the US, has founded what she claims is China's first finishing school, Institute Sarita.

The Empire’s New Clothes (March 21, 2016, The New Yorker)
Ma Ke’s couture dignifies the harshness of proletarian life with garments of mud-caked homespun, but she is an exception. China’s rich think of themselves as a new aristocracy. They are impatient with drabness and proud to assert their national identity—not to say their buying power.

Economics / Trade / Business

Getting Money Out of China: The Reality Has Changed (March 10, 2016, China Law Blog)
We explained how China right now is making great efforts to prevent foreign currency from leaving the country and the possibility of a Chinese company losing a lawsuit outside China meant the possibility of foreign currency needing to leave China.

Video: Labor Protests Multiply in China as Economy Slows, Worrying Leaders (March 14, 2016, The New York Times)
As China’s economy slows after more than two decades of breakneck growth, strikes and labor protests have erupted across the country. Factories, mines and other businesses are withholding wages and benefits, laying off staff or shutting down altogether. Worried about their prospects in a gloomy job market, workers are fighting back with unusual ferocity.

Education

How WeChat is extending China’s school days well into night (March 8, 2016, MIT Technology Review)
New homework assignments at 7PM., corrections due by midnight: how teachers, parents, and students in some schools in China are using WeChat to perpetuate round-the-clock pressure. 

China’s Harsh Child Discipline, Through the Lens of Domestic Violence (March 9, 2016, The New York Times)
Corporal punishment in schools was outlawed in China in 1986, but the harsh disciplining of children remains widespread, reflecting a tradition of “dama jiaoyu,” or hitting-and-cursing education, even if it has become a topic of debate among some parents in recent years. The habit can easily slip into abuse, scholars say.

Chinese Official: No Western Values in the Classroom … Except for Marxism (March 10, 2016, China Real Time)
Mr. Yuan didn’t elaborate further on his definition of problematic Western values or ministry activity on the matter, but he went on to stress the importance of moral and political education for China’s youth. “The goal and orientation of running schools is to make our students become people qualified to inherit and build up socialism with Chinese characteristics,” he said.

Health / Environment

China confirms 1st imported yellow fever case (March 13, 2016, China Daily)
China's National Health and Family Planning Commission on Sunday confirmed the nation's first imported yellow fever case in Beijing. The patient, a 32-year-old man from east Zhejiang Province, first experienced stage one symptoms of the disease, including fever and chills, on March 8 while still in Luanda, capital of Angola in Africa. He sought medical treatment after returning to China on March 10.

Beijing subsidizes custodians of the mentally ill (Mary 14, 2016, China Daily)
Beijing will subsidize custodians of 58,000 people registered as severely mentally ill to encourage them to take better care of the patients and prevent unwanted incidents, the municipal health and family planning commission announced Monday.

History / Culture

A teacher takes students to read big character posters in 1966 (March 11, 2016, Everyday Life in Mao’s China)

Multiculti roots: A museum tells a new story (March 12, 2016, The Economist)
With the recent opening in Chiayi county of a southern branch of the vast National Palace Museum, “museum diplomacy” is becoming a part of that—a way not just to boost tourism but to assert Taiwan’s sense of its own history as distinct from China’s.

How One Icelander Remembers 1976 — China’s Year of the Fire Dragon (March 15, 2016, China Real Time)
The year 1976 was a momentous one in China. For one Icelandic diplomat, it still reverberates. In October that year, Ragnar Baldursson, then a Peking University student, stood in Tiananmen Square when Beijing’s mayor, Wu De, declared the end of the Cultural Revolution.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Overview of China’s 2016 Top TV Dramas (March 9, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
These are the most-watched and most-discussed dramas according to Weibo and Baidu charts of March 2016.

Upcoming & Hot Chinese Movie ‘Chongqing Hotpot’ (火锅英雄) [Trailer] (March 10, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
It has not even come out yet, but Chinese blockbuster ‘Hotpot Heroes’ aka ‘Chongqing Hotpot’ (火锅英雄) is already number one in Weibo’s must-see movie rankings.

Ten Years – the terrifying vision of Hong Kong that Beijing wants obscured (March 10, 2016, The Guardian)
A dystopian independent film has played to packed houses but after Chinese criticism it has disappeared from public screens.

Two Writers Publicly Resign Amid the Chinese Communist Party's Tightening Grip on Culture (March 16, 2016, Global Voices Online)
Two Chinese writers, Jing Ge and Ye Mi, stepped down from their public positions as the vice presidents of the China Writers Association's Suzhou branch last week. Both their resignation letters were posted on popular Chinese social media platform Weibo and attracted many reposts, comments and messages of praise.

Travel / Food

An art deco journey through Shanghai's belle époque (February, 2016, Lonely Planet)
Shanghai is home to one of the richest collections of art deco architecture in the world. A mix of western influences and 'Chinese deco', the city's signature style saw its heyday in the 1930s and gives insight into the cultural movements of the era.

Officials in China Call for National Standards on Halal Food (March 14, 2016, The New York Times)
The Chinese characters for “pure” and “true,” signifying “halal,” hang over numerous restaurants across China, a symbol of a commitment to prepare food in accordance with Islamic law, including its ban on pork and alcohol. But some of China’s more than 23 million Muslims worry that businesses routinely flout those guidelines, selling sweets laced with lard, for instance, or pork disguised as beef.

Non-Panda Related Things to Do in Chengdu (March 14, 2016, Sapore di Cina)
While the Panda Breeding Research Base (Chéngdū Dà Xióngmāo Fányù Yánjiū Jīdì 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) certainly is a wonderful place to visit, there is other stuff to see and do in this awesome city.

Books

Writing China: David Shambaugh, ‘China’s Future’ (March 14, 2016, China Real Time)
Without political reform, writes the China scholar David Shambaugh in his new book “China’s Future,” the economic overhauls that China is embarked upon will stall and the overall economy will stagnate – although not collapse. What are the prospects for such liberalization?

The New Life In English Of An Old Eileen Chang Novel (March 16, 2016, Los Angeles Review of Books)
It’s surprising that the book that has most often been adapted to film, television, and the stage in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Half a Lifelong Romance, has only recently been translated into English.

Club China’s choice: must-reads (Club China)
Our Club China editors have compiled their list of best business books about China. Some have been published fairly recently, others are classic but still immensely popular.

Links for Researchers

China’s transparency challenges (March 8, 2016, Brookings)
In this post we discuss two other important forms that complement clear explanations by policymakers: data transparency (producing believable numbers), and transparency about the rules of the game (being clear about rules and policies that affect participants in commerce, the markets, etc.). For China to fulfill its potential as a global financial and economic leader, it needs to make further progress on these dimensions as well.

Events

China and the Great War: A symposium – May 4 2016 – Imperial War Museum, London
A panel of leading international scholars, archivists, and community activists will address the ways in which World War I played a substantial role in shaping China’s 20th-century trajectory.

Image credit: 俊玮戴, via Flickr