ZGBriefs | April 17, 2025

Featured Article

The Tradition of Chinese Kites: A Cultural Legacy in the Sky (April 15, 2025, The Beijinger Blog) 
Kites have long been a significant part of Chinese culture and are a tradition that dates back over 2,000 years. Originally created during the Warring States period (475–221 BC), kites were initially used for military purposes, such as measuring distances, testing the wind, and even sending signals. As time passed, however, the kite evolved into a symbol of good fortune, celebration, and artistic expression.

Sponsored Post

Online Book Club (ERRChina)
Join us for an online discussion of the book, “At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning with China,” by Edward Wong. Description: “The son of Chinese immigrants in Washington, DC, Edward Wong grew up among family secrets. His father toiled in Chinese restaurants and rarely spoke of his native land or his years in the People’s Liberation Army under Mao. Yook Kearn Wong came of age during the Japanese occupation in World War II and the Communist revolution, when he fell under the spell of Mao’s promise of a powerful China. His astonishing journey as a soldier took him from Manchuria during the Korean War to Xinjiang on the Central Asian frontier. In 1962, disillusioned with the Communist Party, he made plans for a desperate escape to Hong Kong. Wong tells a moving chronicle of a family and a nation that spans decades of momentous change and gives profound insight into a new authoritarian age transforming the world. A groundbreaking book, At the Edge of Empire is the essential work for understanding China today.”
Date: Wednesday, May 7,2025
Time: 5:00 pm EDT / 6:00 pm MDT / 7:00 pm CDT / 8:00 pm EDT
Location: ZOOM
Discussion leader: Joann Pittman
Go here to register. 

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Beijing Ups Diplomatic Pressure on Africa as the US Pulls Back (April 9, 2025, AP News)
Chinese diplomats threatened to cancel a summit and called top officials in two African countries to pressure lawmakers to quit an international parliamentary group critical of China, officials from the group told The Associated Press. It’s an example of how far China will go to influence politicians overseas, and how that pressure can succeed behind closed doors.

China’s Anti-Corruption Act (April 10, 2025, China Media Project)
This all-too-familiar pattern of corruption treatment in the media in China, which deliberately ignores systemic causes, illuminates how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) addresses — and more importantly, fails to address — a problem that remains as entrenched today as it was a decade ago. Why is China making a fuss about corruption right now, and yet again? 

‘Do You Want to Show Strength Here?: Russia’s Ads Recruiting Chinese Mercenaries (April 10, 2025, The Guardian)
The videos are across Chinese social media. Some are slickly produced Russian propaganda about being “tough” men; some sound more like influencer advertisements for a working holiday. Others are cobbled-together screenshots by regular citizens about to leave China. But they all have one thing in common: selling the benefits of becoming a Chinese mercenary for Russia.

He Weidong’s Possible Downfall and Xi’s Trust Deficit With the PLA (April 11, 2025, China Brief Archives – The Jamestown Foundation)
He Weidong has not made any public appearances since the Two Sessions and has been absent from key events. Although he still appears in the official list of Politburo members on Xinhua’s website and the government has yet to release any related information, his absence raises the possibility that, barring major illness, he is under investigation.

Religion

Why I Went Home to China: Part 2 (April 10, 2025, China Partnership)
This is the second part of our conversation with Sister Bao En, who decided to return to China after living overseas for several years. Although many people are currently trying to leave China, she decided God was calling her to return and serve the church in her home country. While there are difficulties and challenges, she says the best place to be is the place where God has called you.

It Starts with “Nǐ Hǎo” (April 11, 2025, ChinaSource)
Though my Mandarin is still limited and mostly toneless, I’ve learned that effort often speaks louder than fluency. In this unexpected place of ministry, I’ve seen firsthand that trust can be built with one smile, one word, one gesture at a time. This experience reminds me that God often uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. Sometimes it begins with a simple “Nǐ hǎo.”

Educating for the Kingdom (April 14, 2025, ChinaSource)
In recent years, Chinese Christian leaders have begun expanding their mission beyond China’s borders. Among them is a Christian educator from China (pseudonym: L), who transitioned from leading a house church in a major Chinese city to helping establish a Christian school and faith community in Southeast Asia. Unlike traditional church-planting approaches, L sees education as a powerful instrument for shaping the next generation of Christian leaders.

Shenzhen: “Still a Vast Harvest Field” (April 14, 2025, China Partnership)
Evangelism has become more and more difficult over the past five years. The pressure and suppression coming from above are becoming more apparent. This is quite difficult. Shenzhen is still a vast harvest field for the gospel. The challenge is how we can effectively spread the gospel.

The Lausanne Movement and the Chinese Church (April 15, 2025, Chinese Christian Voices)
Having attended the Fourth Lausanne Conference in Seoul, I had the privilege of witnessing the grand celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Lausanne Movement. This gathering showcased the rich diversity of the universal church, and the depth and breadth of theological discussions were impressive. However, several remarks about the Chinese church sparked deep reflection and inner turmoil within me, prompting me to share these feelings with everyone.

Society / Life

As Below, So Above: Gen Z Updates China’s ‘Ghost Money’ Ritual (April 9, 2025, Sixth Tone)
For generations, Chinese families have gathered at the graves of their ancestors to burn paper offerings, such as “ghost money,” originally in the belief that these would transcend the veil between worlds and ensure that their loved ones enjoyed a comfortable afterlife. Over time, the ritual shifted from its supernatural foundations to become a deeply personal kind of remembrance, with people gradually incorporating modern offerings, such as paper televisions, laptops, smartphones, and games consoles.

Need for IShowSpeed: A YouTuber’s Wild Ride Through China’s Internet (April 9, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Since landing in China in late March, 20-year-old Darren Watkins Jr. — better known as IShowSpeed — has livestreamed a chaotic, unscripted journey through eight major cities in just over two weeks. Along the way, he drew mobs of fans, confused bystanders, and clout-chasing influencers into his unpredictable orbit.Watkins, who has over 38 million subscribers on YouTube and 32 million on Instagram, is famous for adrenaline-fueled stunts and over-the-top reactions. In China, his real-time broadcasts have sparked everything from impromptu singalongs and viral memes to awkward mistranslations — and the occasional diplomatic headache.

Rocking Boundaries: Made-in-China Feminism and an All-Female Chinese Band in Tokyo (April 10, 2025, Made In China Journal)
In the Chinese music scene, women have traditionally been confined to roles embodying elegance and obedience. This is exemplified by groups such as the 12 Girls Band, whose success, built on performing traditional instruments such as the guzheng (古筝) and pipa (琵琶), aligns with societal expectations of femininity, reinforcing Confucian stereotypes of Chinese women as ornamental and prioritising cultural commodification over artistic autonomy (Yung and Saffle 2010). Similarly, China’s rock music market has been overwhelmingly male dominated, influencing everything from cultural narratives and themes to audience expectations and industry representation.

Fate, Agency, and Precarity: The Vagrant Stories in Xu Tong’s Documentary Trilogy (April 15, 2025, Made In China Journal)
This essay delves into the diverse and often hidden life experiences of marginalised groups through the lens of Xu Tong’s documentary series ‘Vagabonds Trilogy’ (游民三部曲). These movies—Wheat Harvest (麦收, 2008), Fortune Teller (算命, 2009), and Shattered (老唐头, 2011)—focus on individuals whom Chinese society considers ‘vagrants’ (游民youmin), from those involved in illegal occupations such as fortune-telling and sex work to beggars. The article seeks to explore how vagrants’ life conditions are presented through independent documentary films and to understand how their desires, morality, and hopes for achieving a better life are connected to the broader themes of precariousness in post-socialist China.

Economics / Trade / Business

‘We Will Have to Raise Prices’ : Gloom and Resolve in Yiwu, On China’s Trade War Frontline (April 8, 2025, The Guardian)
If you have ever bought a Christmas decoration, a button, an electric shaver or any other cheap manufactured product, there is a good chance it came from Yiwu, a city in east China’s Zhejiang province that is home to the world’s largest wholesale market. Covering more than 4m square metres, tens of thousands of suppliers have booths in Yiwu International Trade City. As the US and China exchange increasingly hysterical rhetoric and threaten ever-higher tariffs, it is vendors at places like Yiwu who are at the frontline of the new trade war.

Beijing Hits the Reset Button on Cooperation with Private Tech Companies (April 9, 2025, East Asia Forum)
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with top private tech leaders on 17 February 2025, signalling renewed state support for private innovation amid economic challenges. This follows years of regulatory crackdowns and comes as China faces a slowing economy, US sanctions and declining consumer confidence. While Xi’s pledge mirrors past promises, doubts persist over whether it signals any real shift in the state’s expectations for private firms in AI, automation and clean energy. A proposed private economy law aims to ensure fair competition, but uncertainty remains over whether Beijing will grant sustained autonomy to tech giants in the long term.

Chinese Exporters Said to Be Ditching Shipments Mid-Voyage to Avoid Crushing Trump Tariffs (April 9, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Amid escalating trade tensions between China and the United States, some Chinese exporters are taking the drastic step of ditching shipments mid-voyage and surrendering containers to shipping companies to avoid crushing tariff costs.Industry insiders have dubbed the move “preparing for the Long March”, a grim metaphor for what many see as a prolonged and punishing downturn in cross-Pacific trade.

Chinese Residents of Malaysian ‘Ghost City’ and Indebted Developer Spot a Few Green Shoots (April 9, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Resentments have been piling up for Louis Li since he moved from Guangzhou to a luxury home in Malaysia’s Forest City development about six months ago for his children’s schooling. Before he began investing in his three units almost a decade ago, Li checked out the property at a “prosperous” time. “When they started sales, ads were going up all over Guangdong province, so I came to visit,” he recalled. “Lots of people were here then, plus shops, restaurants and the hotel were all open.”

The China-US Trade War Is in Full Swing (April 9, 2025, The Diplomat)
Beyond the economics, there’s also a psychological dimension to the trade war that is fueling the escalation cycle. Unlike other countries that have shown a willingness to negotiate with Trump – like Vietnam, Japan, and India – China is locked in a global rivalry with the United States. Each side views the other with extreme suspicion, and that makes any compromise unlikely. Instead, both the United States and China have accused each other of bullying behavior, adding a emotive component to the trade war that will make it exceedingly difficult for either Trump or Xi Jinping to back down.

Hong Kong halts postal service for US-bound goods over Trump’s ‘bullying’ tariffs (April 15, The Guardian)
sea to the US and will suspend its air mail postal service for items containing goods from 27 April due to “bullying” US tariffs. When sending items to the US, people in Hong Kong “should be prepared to pay exorbitant and unreasonable fees due to the US’s unreasonable and bullying acts”, Hong Kong Post said in a statement.

Science / Technology

China Expands AI Globally Through the Digital Silk Road (April 11, 2025, East Asia Forum)
China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative aims to develop a global digital ecosystem with China at its centre, focusing on e-commerce, finance, industrial digitalisation, quantum computing and AI. Chinese AI company DeepSeek’s inexpensive open-source models — poised to become global standard-setters — are contributing to the global realisation that advanced technology will not remain exclusive to developed countries. The shift towards Chinese digital networks may reshape developing economies’ digital frameworks and influence technology policy worldwide.

Humanoid Robots Are Poised to March Into the Real World (April 11, 2025, Sixth Tone)
In China, excitement about the potential of humanoid robots soared after the Lunar New Year’s Eve, when 16 of Unitree Robotics’ general-purpose robots appeared at the Spring Festival Gala. Performing a tightly choreographed Chinese folk dance alongside human dancers, the robots — dressed in traditional floral-patterned cotton jackets and spinning red handkerchiefs — wowed more than a billion viewers with their synchronized movements.

PLA Perceptions of and Reactions to U.S. Military Activities in Low Earth Orbit (April 11, 2025, China Brief Archives – The Jamestown Foundation)
In March, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced the successful launch of a fifth batch of satellites to comprise its broadband G60 megaconstellation, also referred to as the Qianfan (千帆; “Thousand Sails”) Constellation. This latest batch was launched on the Long March 8, a new generation rocket designed specifically for placing assets in low earth orbit (LEO) (MIIT, March 12). The PRC’s increased efforts to capitalize on dwindling space in LEO have been driven in part by developments in U.S. space capabilities.

Travel / Food

Think Twice: China Tells Tourists and Students Eyeing the U.S. (April 14, 2025, Sixth Tone)
China has issued rare warnings to its citizens, urging students and tourists to reassess plans to visit the U.S. amid escalating trade tensions. The travel and education advisories came hours before the U.S. announced a new wave of tariffs on Chinese goods, pushing duties on some imports to as high as 145%. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism cited both deteriorating bilateral relations and concerns over public safety, while the education ministry pointed to newly passed state laws seen as unfriendly to Chinese institutions and students.

Mangoes, Massage, and Feasting in Mangshi, China’s Hottest Border Town (April 15, 2025, The World of Chinese)
Mangshi has been hailed on social media as “a hidden gem on the border and an alternative to Southeast Asia” since going viral in early 2023. During that year’s Chinese New Year holiday, it ranked among the top 10 niche destinations on the travel booking site Ctrip. While the water-splashing festivities might cool the body, enthusiasm for this remote town—fueled by its unique culture and cuisine—still seems hotter than ever.

History / Culture

170 Years of China and the World Expo | Photo Story (April 16, 2025, The World of Chinese)
​With the 2025 World Expo underway, take a look back at China’s long-standing presence and key milestones at the global fair.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Tour by Youtube Star IShowSpeed Hailed as Soft Power Win for China (April 9, 2025, China Digital Times)
This week, 20-year-old American influencer Darren Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed, concluded a multi-week, high-profile tour of China. With nearly 120 million online followers across all of his platforms, IShowSpeed produced dozens of hours of live footage and created a unique moment of China-U.S. cultural exchange that recalled the American “TikTok refugee” exodus to Xiaohongshu/RedNote in January. The tour was widely seen as a major soft-power win for the Chinese government, and renewed the debate over foreign influencers’ role in disseminating pro-China narratives on Western social media.

Television In Crisis (April 10, 2025, Lingua Sinica)
In China today, there are 389 broadcasting and television stations at the prefecture-level and above, according to early 2024 data from China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), . There are 2,099 county-level television stations, and 33 educational television stations. Each television station broadcasts across several channels, and some operate 10 or more. But in 2024, as rumors circulated on social platforms that “nearly 2,000 local television stations are on the verge of collapse” (有近2000家地方電視台行將倒閉), the veneer of viability seemed to slip.

Events

Free Webinar: Cultural Intelligence in a Divided World (Field Partner)
In a globalised world, we all need to be able to connect with people from other cultures, and yet we see so much division and hatred. How can we respond?
Starts Apr 25 at 1:00 PM BST (British Summer Time)
Go here for more information and to register. 

Pray for China

April 11 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On Apr. 11, 2006, Lu Decheng (鲁德成先生) arrived in Canada after fleeing to Thailand from China. Lu served nearly 9 years in prison for working with two friends to throw ink-filled eggs onto the portrait of Mao Zedong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations. Pray for Christians in Canada to minister to Lu, his family and other Chinese exiles. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. 2 Timothy 1:15-18

Praying for China | Prayercast (January, 2025, ChinaSource)

Pray for China (prayforchina.us)

Pray for China (China Partnership)