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 | January 11, 2024
How China Became a Car Country (January 9, 2024, Sixth Tone) In 2022, Chinese bought more than 26 million light cars, nearly double the total of the United States. The country is even exporting aspects of its car culture abroad, thanks in part to a world-leading new-energy vehicle sector.
ZGBriefs | January 4, 2024
The living language of the Chinese people (December 28, 2023, Language Log) The following buzzwords from social media show that, when they get out from under the thumb / heel of the CCP, the Chinese people have a lot of lively spunk and clever wit.
ZGBriefs | December 28, 2023
Has China Reached Peak Spice? (December 22, 2023, Sixth Tone) Historically, outside of a few inland regions, Chinese food was mildly flavored, with more emphasis on highlighting an ingredient’s natural taste than overpowering it with the numbing spice of Sichuanese mala or its fierier Hunanese counterpart.
Can I Still Get a Bible in China?
Answering Common Questions
Since the Bible does not have a government-issued ISBN, they can only be sold legally in churches and bookstores affiliated with the [registered church] … “The process of printing and distributing Bibles is a regulated and systematic procedure that begins with an annual assessment by the [registered church] of the demand for Bibles. The proposed quantity is then submitted…for approval.”
ZGBriefs | December 21, 2023
The Chinese Migrants of Chiang Mai (December 14, 2023, The Dial) People who have left China — to make a new life or to escape an old one — are everywhere.
ZGBriefs | December 14, 2023
Podcast: Full time children or half dead: China’s Gen Z goes to ground (December 13, 2023, Little Red Podcast) The Party frets that despite the best efforts of the propaganda organs to get them excited about a tech-driven utopian future, China’s young people seem to have lost their work ethic.
ZGBriefs | December 7, 2023
How people in Hong Kong view mainland China and their own identity (December 5, 2023, Pew Research) With local elections in Hong Kong approaching, here’s a look at how people in the special administrative region view mainland China, as well as their own identity and the way things are going in their city. All findings are drawn from a recent Pew Research Center survey.
ZGBriefs | November 30, 2023
5 visa-free ways to travel to China by land, sea and air for 72 hours and up to 30 days (November 21, 2023, South China Morning Post) In October and November, the Ministry of Public Security, the National Immigration Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that travellers from dozens of countries can again enter China through several visa-free schemes.
A Prayer Calendar for Advent
Join us in praying for Chinese believers this Advent season.
ZGBriefs | November 16, 2023
The Fishing Village That Wasn’t and Other Myths About China’s Largest City (November 14, 2023, Sixth Tone) Shanghai’s opening as a treaty port has become shrouded in myth. What actually happened? And how did it shape the city?