
Blog Entries on Serving
A Novel Approach to Chinese History
If you're interested in China (or any place), I think we're in agreement as to the importance of understanding the historical context. The more you know what has happened, the more you understand what is happening today. Yet at times, the thought of reading history results in a gag reflux, I get it. I really do, some historians are terrible writers. And for those of you who roll your eyes at the mere mention of historical fiction, I'm with you.
Is China Safe?
This is a common question that folks who live and work in China are asked. I often reply that I feel very safe in China, except when I'm crossing a street or hurtling through town in a taxi being driven by a sleepy driver.
However, a perusal of recent stories out of China in recent months might give the impression of peril at every turn: stabbings in Beijing and Shenzhen by mentally deranged individuals; a man trying to blow himself up at the Beijing airport. Add to these the seemingly never-ending list of food safety scandals: contaminated milk powder; fake mutton, beef, and honey; glow-in-the-dark pork; and thousands of dead pigs floating in the river in Shanghai.
Things Every Expat in China Ministry Needs to Know . . .
For those who are beginning or have just begun a life of service in China, the list of skills to master and concepts to grasp can seem daunting. The summer 2013 edition of Chinasource Quarterly (due out this week) is designed to provide a roadmap for the process of entering into the Chinese ministry context.
To Aquire the Chinese Language
For those of you hard at work learning the Chinese language, an encouraging word:
The “New” New HSK: Suddenly So Significant
"Cataclysmic" is how I describe the impact I foresee of the recent decision of Beijing's educational establishment to allow HSK test takers to type instead of write.
"HSK" stands for hanyu shuiping kaoshi (). Beginning in 1992, the HSK tests Chinese proficiency just as the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) tests English proficiency. Revised in 2009, it's now called the "New HSK."
What Would it Take to Change?
In a lengthy article calling upon his colleagues to adjust their practices in China, Welshman Timothy Richard described the way in which he imagined the foreign community was viewed by Chinese people.
Seven Reasons Chinese is Becoming Easier to Learn
The study of Chinese as a second language is exploding around the globe, yet few Westerners today read, write and speak Chinese fluently. No wonder native speakers often say, with a certain satisfaction, their language is tai nan xue, "too hard to learn."
Returning the Blessing
So many people from Western countries head east to countries like China with the noble desire to give and bless.
That's what I did 22 years ago, setting out from England to China with a clear sense of calling and the blessing of my church.
Keeping a Proper Perspective
From the opening chapter of his work on the proper method of mission practice (Nevius was at least partly inspired by Timothy Richard's work in Shandong), the following quote is a reminder for those of us who have found what we believe to be a better method for working in China to keep a proper perspective:
Are You “Among the People”
The following is a quotation from James Hudson Taylor, speaking to a gathering of field workers Pingyang, Shanxi in 1886.