ZGBriefs by 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 of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and Chinese Culture and Communication at Wheaton College (IL) and Taylor University (IN).
Joann has a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and an MA in teaching from the University of St. Thomas (MN).
She is the author of Survival Chinese Lessons and The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China.
Her personal blog, Outside-In can be found at joannpittman.com, where she writes on China, Minnesota, traveling, and issues related to "living well where you don't belong."
You can find her on Twitter @jkpittman.com and on Facebook at @authorjoannpittman.
She makes her home in New Brighton, Minnesota.
ZGBriefs | February 6, 2020
These airlines have suspended flights to and from China (February 5, 2020, CNN)
Here's a roundup of some major airlines that have suspended or reduced their flights to mainland China.
ZGBriefs | January 30, 2020
The Truth About “Dramatic Action” (January 27, 2020, China Media Project)
From inside the curtain that now encloses my city, I wish to offer my thoughts on this “dramatic action,” and to judge what we have actually seen and experienced in terms of commitment to public health.
ZGBriefs | January 23, 2020
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival 2020 (January 6, 2020, BBC)
Here are some of the best bits from this year's festival, in China's Heilongjiang north-east province. The annual event features ice slides, ice sculptures and even a snow-themed mass wedding.
ZGBriefs | January 16, 2020
China can't rule out new virus spreading between humans (January 15, 2020, CBS News)
The possibility that a new virus in central China could spread between humans cannot be ruled out, though the risk of transmission at the moment appears to be low, Chinese officials said Wednesday.
ZGBriefs | January 9, 2020
The Future of America’s Contest with China (January 6, 2020, The New Yorker)
Washington is in an intensifying standoff with Beijing. Which one will fundamentally shape the twenty-first century?
ZGBriefs | January 2, 2020
Outspoken Chinese Pastor Wang Yi Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison (December 30, 2019, Christianity Today)
China on Monday sentenced a prominent pastor who operated outside the Communist Party–recognized Protestant organization to nine years in prison.
ZGBriefs | Top 10 Posts of 2019
Each week I “scan the Internet so you don’t have to,” looking for interesting stories from China to include in ZGBriefs. Below are the ones that you, dear readers, clicked on the most in 2019.
ZGBriefs | December 19, 2019
Undiscovered China: Zhangjiajie, the land of 'Avatar' (December 17, 2019, USA Today)
The "'Avatar' Mountains," are the inspiration for the Pandora scenery and bewitching landscape of director James Cameron's mythical blockbuster film "Avatar."
ZGBriefs | December 12, 2019
Anniversary of a crackdown (December 9, 2019, World Magazine)
One year after a police raid, members of a prominent Chinese church wrestle with past traumas and endure ongoing threats.
ZGBriefs | December 5, 2019
Expat Wrestling Season: The internal clash between staying and going (December 3, 2019, The Culture Blend)
It’s here again. Wrestling season. For the expats. Here’s the backstory . . . for the rest of you. Expats don’t stay forever. We come and go.