ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | November 10, 2016

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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. Please go here to support ZGBriefs.

Featured Article

The Politics of Religion in China (November 4, 2016, The Diplomat)
The revivals of various religions, especially Christianity, show that the rapid social change has both generated the social needs and created the social space for religion. As long as social change continues in the current direction, that is, increasing urbanization, globalization, and migration, religions will continue to grow in the foreseeable future.


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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

China’s ‘Core’ Conundrum: Policing the Party’s Watchers (November 3, 2016, China Real Time)
The regulations entrench Mr. Xi’s growing use of party disciplinarians as political inquisitors, enforcing party loyalty and compliance with his agenda. His targets, political observers say, are rivals and foot-dragging bureaucrats who hamper, or even resist, his policy edicts.

China just got rid of its finance minister (November 6, 2016, CNN)
China just removed a top official who's played an important role in trying to reform the country's debt-laden economy for the past three years. In a one-line statement, the government said Finance Minister Lou Jiwei will be replaced by Xiao Jie, a former tax chief. No reason was given for the change, and the statement didn't say what Lou might do next.

China blocks Hong Kong lawmakers in a reminder of who is in charge (November 7, 2016, BBC)
The message from Beijing to its unruly territory 2,000km (1,350 miles) south is, by contrast, "we disapprove of what you say and we hereby decree that you have no right to say it". China has now spoken on the question of whether elected members of Hong Kong's legislature can use that public platform to campaign for ideas offensive to China and the answer is a resounding no. In a unanimous decision by a panel of the Communist Party-controlled national parliament, Hong Kong has been reminded that the freedoms it enjoys are ultimately at the whim of Beijing.

Hong Kong: lawyers and activists march against Beijing 'meddling' (November 8, 2016, The Guardian)
More than 2,000 lawyers and activists have paraded through Hong Kong in silence and dressed in black to protest against Beijing’s unprecedented intervention in the former British colony’s supposedly independent legal system as a means of ousting two democratically elected pro-independence politicians.

Why Did Beijing Slap Down Hong Kong Separatists? To Make a Point. (November 9, 2016, The New York Times)
Beijing decided it had to respond strongly and to make an example of the wayward politicians. “Some people think there was no need to worry, that they could never win independence and their forces are too puny,” Zou Pingxue, a professor of law in Shenzhen, China, said by telephone. “But there was the dangerous tendency that the Hong Kong independence phenomenon could grow larger and spin out of control.”

Religion

10 Questions on Contextualization (November 4, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Earlier this week we posted a ChinaSource Conversations podcast in which I talked with Jackson Wu, author of Saving God’s Face and Sam Chan, author of Preaching as the Word of God about the issue of contextualization in gospel presentations. These are the ten questions that I posed:

In Remote Settlement High on Tibetan Plateau, Buddhist Spirituality Soars (November 8, 2016, The New York Times)
Even by the standards of the phenomenal sights of Tibet, Yarchen Gar is a wonder on the high plateau: thousands of ramshackle homes clustered on a remote peninsula at the bend of a river, each one the domicile of a nun who has come here to study Tibetan Buddhism. Residents estimate there are 10,000 people here, almost all Tibetan with a handful of Han, the dominant ethnicity in China. The vast majority being women, this is one of the largest communities of nuns in the world — certainly the largest nun shantytown.

The Prosperity Gospel in China (November 8, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
The prosperity gospel is currently gaining popularity in mainland churches. Its purpose is to pursue earthly success. It weakens and even denies the noble characteristics of Christianity such as suffering for God, being content, devotion, and sacrifice. It is a threat to the church and the spiritual life of Christians. This article is a simple observation on why the prosperity gospel is popular.

3 Questions: David Joannes (November 9, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Gung-ho passion for the lost must be paired with an aptitude to servanthood, to learning the ins and outs of the target culture, and adapting their traditional missions methods to the needs of each particular people group.

Society / Life

A Namibian in Wuhan Finds Fame on China’s Internet (November 4, 2016, The Wall Street Journal)
If you live in China, you might have seen a video of Uugwanga Uuta Erastus Innocent scolding a woman for cutting in line. In May this year, the 25-year-old Namibian student and friends filmed the video, in which Mr. Uugwanga admonished the woman in not just Mandarin but in Wuhan and northeastern Chinese dialects. The short film of a mysterious foreigner speaking up against the nation’s endemic line-cutting quickly went viral.

Dongbei’s Last Match Factory, Capital Straphangers, Retracing the Long March… (November 8, 2016, China File)
In October, several publications marked the 80th Anniversary of the Chinese Communists’ Long March. We have chosen two stories that revisited this event and that were standouts, visually. Elsewhere, photographers followed stories both large and small, from public outcry about arctic animals on display in China’s southern city of Guangzhou to the superlative Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, from subterranean street photography of Beijing’s subway to China’s last match-producing factory.

Chinese Baby Girl’s Birth Defect Raises Discussion on Prenatal Screening Accuracy (November 8, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
The birth of an infant with physical abnormalities, despite recurrent prenatal screenings, has sparked discussions on Chinese social media. A running investigation will reveal whether the hospital can be held accountable.

Economics / Trade / Business

China consumer prices up 2.1% in October (November 9, 2016, China Daily)
China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew 2.1 percent year on year in October, up from September's 1.9 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced Wednesday. The October data ended previous drops in the past five-consecutive months starting from 2.3 percent in April, when the CPI hit its highest level since July 2014.

Education

How WeChat Is Reshaping Online Education (November 3, 2016, Sixth Tone)
As China’s most widely used instant messaging platform, WeChat has already been used by some star educators to create wildly successful business startups. One example is “Logical Thinking” by Luo Zhenyu, a former television news anchor whose charismatic talk shows pack a lot of content into an easily digestible format. Luo’s business also sells books and products he references during his WeChat sessions.

China parliament bans some private, for-profit schools (November 7, 2016, Reuters)
China's parliament has banned private, for-profit schools that teach first- through ninth-graders, a move to tighten government control over education that may cool a fast growing but poorly regulated sector. Leaders of the National People's Congress adopted a revised law on private education that banned the schools, according to a document released on Monday at the end of a bi-monthly session.

A Living Buddha In A Chinese Class (November 8, 2016, World of Chinese)
It’s no secret that more and more people around the world are learning Chinese as a second language, but did you know there was a “living Buddha” among them?

Science / Technology

Why does China’s choking smog persist despite Beijing’s clean-up efforts? (November 9, 2016, South China Morning Post)
Beijing residents and their neighbours in Hebei province and Tianjin awoke to another round of smog on Wednesday – and the choking air pollution will only get worse this weekend, meteorological officials warn. […]  However, one question remains unanswered: why – despite government pledges and heavy investment spent on dealing with the continuing problem – does the smog keep returning?

History / Culture

When Standard Time Came to Beijing (November 8, 2016, China Rhyming)
Until January 1937 Peking (Beijing, if you prefer) had no standard time. Of course there was a set time but very few clocks agreed and some people relied on gongs during the night, a cannon shot at noon and other forms of timekeeping. However, with the treaty ports having introduced standard time through electric clocks (and also Nanking, the capital) Beijing decided to get modern too.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

China’s Internet Controls Will Get Stricter, to Dismay of Foreign Business (November 7, 2016, The New York Times)
Officials say the rules will help stop cyberattacks and help prevent acts of terrorism, while critics say they will further erode internet freedom. Business groups worry that parts of the law — such as required security checks on companies in industries like finance and communications, and mandatory in-country data storage — will make foreign operations more expensive or lock them out altogether. Individual users will have to register their real names to use messaging services in China.

Travel / Food

Beijing By Bike: One Wild Ride (November 3, 2016, Wild China Blog)
Known as one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world, Beijing’s flat roads and wide, dedicated bike lanes make taking your two-wheeler an ideal way to get around the capital. Follow in our footsteps (or our bike treads), with the details of the route that we took. You can hop on your bike and take a whirlwind tour of the city in typical WildChina fashion: completely local and wildly creative.

Harbin! (November 7, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Harbin, situated in the heart of China’s northeast is the capital of Heilongjiang province. Once part of the Manchu homeland and later a Russian outpost, the city today is one of the major industrial and commercial centers of northeast China.

5 Best Dishes in Xi’an (November 9, 2016, Wild China Blog)
One of the oldest cities in China, Xi’an is best known as the home of Emperor Qin’s terracotta army but the city’s unique and mouthwatering cuisine is a reason to visit in its own right. As the first stop on the Silk Road, Xi’an has been at the crossroads of Muslim and Chinese cultures for centuries and the city’s signature dishes reflect the melange of this historic meeting point. Embark on a culinary journey and get to know the best dishes in Xi’an. 

Ancient Town in China Enjoys Profitable Rebirth as a ‘Beautiful Stage’ (November 9, 2016, The New York Times)
Some critics say Wuzhen has a sterile feel. Nonetheless, the town has become a wildly successful example of tourism development in China. Nearly seven million tourists visit every year, in what has been a huge economic boon to the town of about 50,000.

Language / Language Learning

How Chinese People Make Western Names for Themselves (November 8, 2016, Sixth Tone)
One of the quirkier aspects of Chinese popular culture today is the practice of choosing Western names, usually those common to English-speaking nations. Indeed, readers may even have enjoyed a laugh at the expense of a Chinese friend with an unusual name, such as Seven, Strong, or Cupid.

Books

Land of Fish and Rice (November 4, 2016, China File)
In Land of Fish and Rice, Fuchsia Dunlop draws on years of study and exploration to present the recipes, techniques, and ingredients of the Jiangnan kitchen. You will be inspired to try classic dishes such as Beggar’s Chicken and sumptuous Dongpo Pork, as well as fresh, simple recipes such as Clear-Steamed Sea Bass and Fresh Soybeans with Pickled Greens. Evocatively written and featuring stunning recipe photography, this is an important new work celebrating one of China’s most fascinating culinary regions.

Excerpt: 'The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom' (November 8, 2016, Asia Society)
The relationship between China and the United States is as old as America itself — and the fates of two continent-sized countries are now as entwined as ever. In his new book The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom, the journalist John Pomfret presents a survey of the Sino-American history and shows how each country has influenced the foreign policy, culture, and society of the other.

Yan Lianke’s Novel Assesses the Moral Cost of China’s Growth (November 9, 2016, The New York Times)
“The Explosion Chronicles” traces the ascent of a “fallen fruit” village named Explosion to a city on par with Shanghai and Beijing. The levers of power rest within the Kong family (incidentally, also the surname of Confucius), which divvies up political, economic and military might among four brothers.

Image credit: by Carfull, 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