ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | November 17, 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

Desperate Housewives See No Way Out of Rural-Urban Fringe Life (November 11, 2016, Sixth Tone)
Chen is by no means unique among rural-urban fringe communities. With no land and no opportunities, they are unable to make changes to their lives when problems arise. For Chen, the precariousness of her situation became apparent when depression set in; for others, the realization may be triggered by physical injury or sudden unemployment. Without the tools to address these issues, families on the fringe have a hard time recovering.


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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Chinese Public Security Official Is Elected To Lead Interpol (November 10, 2016, NPR)
A top Chinese police official has been elected president of Interpol, the global police agency. The move could help China with its anti-corruption drive, but rights groups are worried that Beijing might use the organization to track down political dissidents. Interpol member countries elected China's vice minister of public security, Meng Hongwei, on Thursday at a general assembly meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

China holds elections (November 12, 2016, The Economist)
This year 900m voters in China are being cajoled into voting in elections of the same type that (briefly) aroused such enthusiasm under Deng. By the end of the year they will have chosen 2.5m representatives to sit in local “people’s congresses”. These form the lowest rung of the country’s legislative ladder, and are the only ones that are filled through direct elections. Membership of higher-level congresses is decided by lower-level ones. On November 15th it will be the turn of the capital, Beijing, to go through the motions.

China's Xi Jinping and Donald Trump speak after election win (November 14, 2016, CNN)
Chinese state media confirmed the call took place, and said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two powers almost four decades ago, "bilateral relations have been developing continuously, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of both countries and promoting peace, stability and prosperity on the regional and world level."

Hong Kong court bans pro-independence politicians from office (November 15, 2016, The Guardian)
Hong Kong’s high court has banned two young pro-independence activists from the city’s parliament, plunging the former British colony deeper into an intensifying political crisis. One week after Beijing issued a highly unusual ruling designed to stop the newly elected politicians taking office, the court on Tuesday told Yau Wai-ching, 25, and Baggio “Sixtus” Leung, 30, that they had been disqualified from their positions.

China’s celebrated female fighter pilot, the ‘Golden Peacock,’ killed in horrific aerobatics team collision (November 15, 2016, National Post)
Capt. Yu Xu, 30, died Saturday when her double-seater J-10 jet collided midair with another plane from the aerobatics team over Hebei province. Her 35-year-old male co-pilot ejected in time and survived with minor injuries, the South China Morning Post reported. Yu was one of China’s first female fighter pilots and the first woman to fly a J-10 stealth fighter.

Jia Jinglong: Chinese villager executed despite campaign (November 15, 2016, BBC)
The execution of a Chinese villager – despite widespread calls to commute his sentence – has drawn criticism from those who say this country's courts have one way of handling the powerful and a different way of handling the poor.

China's first aircraft carrier 'combat ready' (November 16, 2016, UPI)
The People's Liberation Army Navy's first aircraft carrier is ready to meet threats on the battlefield, Chinese media reports. The vessel, named after the Chinese province of Liaoning after being purchased from Ukraine, was deemed combat-ready after years of refitting and sea trials. Initially laid down as an Admiral Kuznetsov-class carrier for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s, the ship has primarily been used by China for training missions, according to IHS Janes.

Chinese websites censor ‘fatty’ nickname that mocks Kim Jong-un (November 16, 2016, The Guardian)
Chinese websites are censoring a phrase meaning “Kim Fatty the Third”, a nickname widely used to disparage the North Korean leader, after officials from his country reportedly conveyed their displeasure in a meeting with Chinese counterparts. Searches for the Chinese words “Jin San Pang” on the search engine Baidu and microblogging platform Weibo returned no results this week.

Panel urges ban on China state firms buying US companies (November 16, 2016, CNBC)
U.S. lawmakers should take action to ban China's state-owned firms from acquiring U.S. companies, a congressional panel charged with monitoring security and trade links between Washington and Beijing said on Wednesday. In its annual report to Congress, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said the Chinese Communist Party has used state-backed enterprises as the primary economic tool to advance and achieve its national security objectives.

China's most-wanted economic fugitive Yang Xiuzhu surrenders (November 16, 2016, BBC)
A woman who Beijing named as its most-wanted economic fugitive has returned to China after 13 years on the run. Yang Xiuzhu is accused of embezzling more than $40m (£26m) when working as a public official. Ms Yang, 70, was detained in the United States in 2014 after she tried to enter the country using a fake Dutch passport.

Podcast: Electing Donald Trump: The View from China (November 16, 2016, China File)
In this podcast, Paul Haenle spoke with Dr. Zhao Hai, a research fellow at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, about China’s initial reactions to Donald Trump’s election and the implications for U.S.-China relations

Religion

A Taoist China? Not for Me, Thanks (November 10, 2016, Sixth Tone)
As a priest, I believe my religion’s strength lies not in converting millions of new followers, but in respecting diversity.

Chinese bishop ordained, with approval of both Rome and Beijing (November 10, 2016, Catholic Culture)
Bishop Peter Ding Lingbin of Changzhi, China, was ordained on November 10, with the approval of both the Holy See and the Beijing government. Bishop Ding had been named by the Vatican to head the Changzhi diocese in 2013, but his ordination was delayed, and he acted as apostolic administrator, until the government allowed his ordination.

Inside China’s ‘secret’ churches (November 12, 2016, The Spectator)
In Beijing, Christianity is permitted to thrive, as long as it does so quietly, but elsewhere in China there has been a crackdown. Last summer, in Zhejiang province — a region with a rich history of missionary activity — crosses were removed from the exteriors of more than 1,000 churches.

An “American Granny” on Chinese TV (November 15, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
The public WeChat account called Window of Christ’s Grace (基督恩典之窗) recently posted a story about the broadcast and how inspiring it was to see a story about a Christian on national television. The writer reflects on the importance of Christians living lives that bring honor to God. 

One-in-a-Thousand Millionaires – An Example for China’s Christians? (November 16, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Christian leaders in China and those serving with them need to reflect deeply on the influence of materialism in the church so they might equip believers with a solidly biblical response.

Society / Life

How has China changed in the past four decades? A conversation with John Holden (November 10, 2016, Sinica Podcast)
John Holden has one word of advice for people trying to understand China: humility. "Anybody who tries to come to grips with China, a country with a very rich civilization, a long history… You just have to be humble in recognizing that there are things you will get wrong, things you will miss," he says around the 36-minute mark of this week's episode.

Parents for Hire: Playing House for Kids With No Home (November 14, 2016, Sixth Tone)
Lu and Tao are contracted parents, on the payroll of a state-run child care institution in eastern China that arranges for married couples to act as live-in caretakers for disabled children who are either orphaned or have been abandoned by their birth parents. Their home — Apartment 304 — houses one of the Suzhou Social Welfare Institute’s many “simulated families,” which may sound like they belong in a virtual-world computer game but have very real requirements.

For Chinese Orphan with a Disability, Life in the U.S. Brought the Strength to Help a Friend Left Behind (November 15, 2016, China File)
According to my caretakers at the orphanage, Chunchun arrived a few years before I did, when she was a baby. They estimate that I was around three or four years old at the time of my arrival, howling and screaming at the top of my lungs. I had been abandoned by my biological parents a few days earlier, and spent the intervening days on the streets.

How the Internet Is Empowering China’s Older Generation (November 15, 2016, Sixth Tone)
A recent government initiative uses weekly seminars to teach Beijing seniors how to use smartphones, demonstrating how the technology can enrich their lives. Lessons cover everything from online banking to the massively popular social media app WeChat. Although these lessons are currently restricted to 30 communities in China's capital, they prove significant in a country currently undergoing profound social change that has left many elderly Chinese people struggling to adapt. In practical terms, these classes familiarize the older generation with new ways to pay their utility bills, register with medical services, and use the internet recreationally. 

Jing-Jin-Ji: Birth of a megalopolis with Chinese characteristics (November 15, 2016, Sapore di Cina)
This new megalopolis, a metropolitan area that will extend over a surface area six times bigger than New York City and twenty-five times that of London, will help to bring new lifeblood to the economy of northern China and will become a laboratory for the study of new phenomenons of urbanization.

Fanning The Obsession (November 16, 2016, World of Chinese)
You might already know that the word 粉丝 (fěnsī), literally “rice noodles”, is the Chinese term for “fans” (say it out loud a few times to find out why). These days, there is a new expression—迷妹 (mímèi), literally “obsessed sisters,” and its counterpart, “obsessed brothers” (迷弟, mídì), which are considered more accurate descriptions of the level of these individuals’ mania. To shore up your credibility as an adoring fan, there are certain phrases you have to master in order to you lavish your idol in praise, defend them to the hilt, and swear eternal fealty and love as needed.

Economics / Trade / Business

Secret Back Door in Some U.S. Phones Sent Data to China, Analysts Say (November 15, 2016, The New York Times)
Security contractors recently discovered preinstalled software in some Android phones that monitors where users go, whom they talk to and what they write in text messages. The American authorities say it is not clear whether this represents secretive data mining for advertising purposes or a Chinese government effort to collect intelligence. International customers and users of disposable or prepaid phones are the people most affected by the software.

Pakistan, China Jointly Open New International Trade Route (November 15, 2016, Voice of America)
Pakistan and China this week activated a new international trade route through the southwestern Pakistani port of Gwadar to showcase a multi-billion-dollar economic cooperation agreement between the two close allies. Beijing's $46 billion investment under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will lead to construction of road, rail and communication networks and power projects in Pakistan along the route linking China's western Xinjiang region to Gwadar.

Education

No, Private Schools in China Are NOT Shutting Down (November 10, 2016, The Beijinger)
The schools publicly known as non-profit include Daystar, YCIS, Keystone, BSB, Sanlitun, BSB, Shunyi, ISB, WAB, BIBA, and many others. Non-profit schools already abide by Chinese laws for non-profit schools and won’t be affected by the most recent ban, as the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) explains, “Our school follows all relevant laws and regulations in regards to non-profit and other educational requirements in China.”

New Law to Quash For-Profit Schools Has Parents Stressed (November 11, 2016, Sixth Tone)
The compulsory education system is free for local students in grades one through nine, supported by central government funding, but around 10,700 private schools enrolling some 12 million students in these grades have sprung up outside of the system to educate those who can afford it, according to Ministry of Education figures. Officials say the new law, which will take effect on Sept. 1, 2017, is aimed at pushing back against prohibitively expensive fees in a private education sector valued at 800 billion yuan.

Health / Environment

China’s Diabetes Problem: From 1% to 10% in 36 Years (November 14, 2016, China Real Time)
China has the most cases of diabetes and of deaths from the disease in the world and the epidemic is getting worse. About 10% of Chinese adults live with diabetes, and nearly half of all adults are prediabetic, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, according to the World Health Organization.

Science / Technology

China’s space station now has insects, weeds and rice on board (November 16, 2016, New Scientist)
China’s Tiangong-2 space station launched on 15 September, and two astronauts have been living there since mid-October. The station includes experiments growing thale cress – an edible weed – and rice in microgravity. Chinese news sources are reporting that the cress has flowered and some of the rice plants are 10 centimetres tall.

In Southwest China, A 'Very Large Eyeball' Peers Into Deep Space (November 16, 2016, NPR)
China has just built the world's largest radio telescope. Known as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, it looks like a giant silver dish, nestled among the jagged, green mountains of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

History / Culture

The Last Time the Cubs Won the World Series (November 14, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
So, what did Beijing look like the last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series? This fascinating video of street scenes taken in the city between 1910 and 1919:

Arts / Entertainment / Media

A New Comedy Looks Back at a Bygone Beijing (November 4, 2016, China File)
The forthcoming Mandarin-language comedy King of Peking takes the viewer back to Beijing in 1998. The sooty rooms, the boxy automobiles of just a few makes, models, and colors, and the alleyways crammed with shops hawking cheap home cooking and pirated movies on disc all recall the era when three filmmakers from markedly different backgrounds were growing up in big-city China just as the nation started its modern love affair with entertainment from elsewhere around the world.

Foreign journalists working in China face increased harassment (November 15, 2016, The New York Times)
Of the respondents to this year’s survey*, 98% said reporting conditions rarely meet international standards, with 29% saying that conditions have deteriorated since 2015. Reporters say sources are being intimidated, as are their local staff. Among the major challenges they face are growing cases of harassment and obstruction.

The secret language of women: a Modern Chinese art series inspired by "Nushu" (November 16, 2016, China Underground)
"Nushu" was abandoned after Culture revolution, it is now cherished by many historians as a mirror to look into the pain and secrets of a woman. It is also practiced by some in modern China as an art form.

Travel / Food

Best Chinese Food in China: A City by City Guide (November 10, 2016, Wild China Blog)
From Peking duck in Beijing to the spice markets of Sichuan, Chinese cuisine is as vast and fascinating as the country itself. Here are our tips for eating the best Chinese food in China. Warning: this post will make you hungry.

How to Obtain a 5-day Visa (VOA) for Shenzhen – A Complete Guide (November 10, 2016, Sapore di Cina)

A Night Of Grain Alcohol And Sichuan Noodles That Almost Never Happened At All (November 16, 2016, Roads and Kingdoms)
Somewhere between the Pizza Hut and the KFC, disillusion set in. I’d put up with the hotel chains, the faux-Euro village, and the ski slope floodlights trapping the resort in an orb of artificial light 24/7, but American fast food had pushed me over the edge.

Language / Language Learning

Xi Jinping Wants to Be ‘Comrade.’ For Gay Chinese, That Means Something Else. (November 15, 2016, The New York Times)
To the 90 million or so members of China’s Communist Party, President Xi Jinping has a message: Don’t call me president. Don’t call me party secretary. Call me “comrade.” There is just one problem. In recent decades, the once ubiquitous term for Communist cadres and leaders has been embraced and popularized by a different group of people: gay men and lesbians.

Why Chinese Language Immersion is Important and How to Achieve It (November 16, 2016, Sapore di Cina)
Getting yourself completely immersed in a foreign language environment is just like that dive into the deep end. The first time you put yourself into an immersive environment is the most daunting of all, precisely because you’re taking a leap of faith into unknown territory.

Books

What Every Expatriate Christian Serving in China Should Read (November 11, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Yes, those are bold words, but if you are newly arrived in China, have been here for decades, or are just beginning preparations to head someday to China, you need to read Mabel Williamson’s Have We No Rights?

 

Finding a Rich Vein of Humor in China’s Past (November 16, 2016, The New York Times)
His new work, “The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China,” shows how the early 20th century inspired a flowering of comedy, farce, cursing and satire. In it, one finds interesting parallels to today, especially in how people stick it to authority.

Links for Researchers

Purdue Survey of Chinese Students in the United States: A General Report (Center on Religion and Chinese Society)
To help understand this significant phenomenon, the Center on Religion and Chinese Society (CRCS) at Purdue University carried out the first Survey of Chinese Students in the United States in spring 2016. In this general report, we profile the social characteristics of Chinese students, summarize the key findings of their social, cultural, and spiritual life, and provide the methodological information and detailed tables of this survey.

Image credit: by maifel2001, 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