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 | July 13, 2023
New Musical Honors Shanghai’s Legacy of Welcoming Jewish Refugees (July 11, 2023, Sixth Tone) A compelling new performance is set to debut in November at Shanghai’s Jewish Refugees Museum, shedding light on how the city welcomed Jewish refugees in World War II. Conducted by award-winning musicians, the oratorio narrates the story of two Jewish brothers who arrived in Shanghai as refugees in 1938 and their struggle to adapt to a foreign land.
An Unexpected Treasure
I can’t help thinking about how discouraged they must have been when they had to leave China so soon after working hard to learn the language and start a new ministry… But God wasn’t finished with either them or his people in China.
ZGBriefs | July 6, 2023
Chinese social media users are not impressed with your ham sandwich (July 3, 2023, NBC News) The plain ham sandwiches, simple salads and other American-style packed lunches that fill office refrigerators don’t exactly scream “Instagram.” But they’re a social media sensation in China, where they have their own hashtag: #WhitePeopleFood.
ZGBriefs | June 29, 2023
Temple visits rise in China as jobless young people seek spiritual assistance (June 22, 2023, The Guardian) The phrase “incense-burning youth” has caught fire on social media, referring to young people who have turned to spiritual offerings in an attempt to increase their prospects. “Between going forward and going to work, I choose incense,” is one popular catchphrase.
3 Questions: Songs from the Heart
An interview with theologian and composer Scott Callaham.
ZGBriefs | June 22, 2023
Last Lockdown: Why Are China’s Campuses Still Closed to the Public? (June 19, 2023, The World of Chinese) Months after China lifted its “zero-Covid” policies in December 2022, marking a sudden end to three years of mandatory testing to enter public spaces and other strict measures, one space has yet to return to normal—university campuses.
Webinar Video: WeChatting to the Glory of God
At our May 31 webinar, we featured four ministry leaders who have years of experience as evangelists in a digital environment. They told encouraging stories about how God is working through technology in China and the Chinese diaspora.
ZGBriefs | June 15, 2023
Marriages in China drop to record low despite government push (June 13, 2023, The Guardian) The number of marriages in China last year dropped to 6.83 million, the lowest since records began in 1986. Data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed the number of couples tying the knot in 2022 fell by about 800,000 compared with 2021, beating that year’s record low. China’s marriage rate has declined rapidly over the past 10 years, since peaking in 2013 when nearly 13.5 million couples wed, nearly double last year’s count.
ZGBriefs | June 8, 2023
China’s ‘Parachute Generation’ Grows Up (June 2, 2023, Sixth Tone) Prior to the pandemic, tens of thousands of Chinese kids left home every year to attend high school in the United States. Was it worth it?
3 Questions: Chinese through Scripture
Last month I had the opportunity to meet Shuguang Wang, the author of a new textbook called Chinese through Scripture. I looked at the book and my first thought was, “I sure could have used this in 1990!”