ZGBriefs | March 20, 2025

Featured Article

Changsha’s Star Turn: How a Historic City Became China’s “Capital of Entertainment” (March 14, 2025, The World of Chinese)
The capital city of Hunan province in central China has become an unexpected travel destination over the last decade, rising up from a former transit stop for travelers heading farther west. Known for titles like “the sleepless city” and “city of entertainment,” Changsha was even ranked as the “No. 1 city Gen Z loves to visit” in 2023, according to the travel app Qunar. During the five-day May Day holiday in 2024, the downtown Wuyi commercial area—named after the international holiday—saw over 5.5 million visits.

Sponsored Link

TONIGHT! 
Free Lecture | China’s Earliest Christians: Who Were They and What Can We Learn from Them? (ChinaSource)
In 1625, a great stone stele was discovered near modern-day Xi’an that told the story of a Christian presence in Tang Dynasty China during the 700s. The name given to their religion in this stele is Jingjiao (Luminous Teaching). Who were they and what did they believe? In this lecture, Dr. Thompson will introduce us to these early Christians and how their story can inform and inspire the work of the modern church in China.
Date: March 20, 2025
Time:    6:15 — light refreshments
              7:00 –  Lecture & Q&A
Location: Nazareth Hall, University of Northwestern – St. Paul, 3003 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul, MN 55113
(no live stream, but please register to receive a link to the recording)

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Key Takeaways from China’s Two Sessions in 2025 (March 11, 2025, Asia Society)
experts from the Center for China Analysis share their views on the key takeaways from the Two Sessions. Last week, CCA also hosted a webinar on the GWR with Neil Thomas, Lizzi C. Lee, Michael Hirson, and Guoguang Wu.

Covert Colonialism: A Conversation with Florence Mok (March 12, 2025, Made In China Journal)
Covert Colonialism: Governance, Surveillance and Political Culture in British Hong Kong, c. 1966–97 (Manchester University Press, 2023) examines state–society relations in one of the United Kingdom’s last strategically important colonial dependencies, Hong Kong. Using underexploited archival evidence, it explores how a reformist colonial administration investigated Chinese political culture, and how activism by social movements in Hong Kong impacted on policymaking.

China’s National People’s Congress 2025 (March 13, 2025, MERICS)
China’s Premier Li Qiang in early March used the annual Government Work Report to the National People’s Congress (NPC) to place a new emphasis on boosting the country’s domestic consumption – a lackluster 40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with a little over 50 percent in the EU and 70 percent in the US.

Five takeaways from Beijing’s largest annual political meetings (March 14, 2025, Atlantic Council)
In reality, of course, the party—and increasingly the strongman at the top—makes the real decisions, while the NPC largely serves as a performative rubber stamp. The pageantry is important, however, as it demonstrates what the party believes it needs to signal to its people and the world. Five notable signals stood out at this year’s two sessions.

China’s Campus Propaganda Pipeline (March 14, 2025, China Media Project)
In a move that highlights China’s expanding use of institutions down to the local level to supercharge the state’s global influence efforts, the School of Foreign Languages at Xi’an Jiaotong University, a leading public university in the central Chinese city, has formed a partnership with a center run by the province’s propaganda office. 

Fujian Unveils Incentives for Militia Training for a Cross-Strait Campaign (March 15, 2025, China Brief Archives – The Jamestown Foundation)
If the People’s Republic of China (PRC) decides to attack Taiwan, it will need to leverage the capabilities of all of its armed forces. This not only includes the land, sea, air, and rocket forces of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) or the relevant units of the People’s Armed Police, such as the China Coast Guard. It also includes the third component of the country’s armed forces—its militia.

Religion

A Journey of Faith (March 14, 2025, Chinese Church Voices)
I had never seriously questioned why I went to church or why my mother was so committed to it. Once, I asked her how she became a Christian. She said it was through my grandparents’ influence. Then I wondered: how did my grandparents, uneducated farmers from a rural village, come to believe in Jesus? Perhaps we are part of the fruit of missionaries sent by God to China long ago.

Human Tapestry (March 17, 2025, ChinaSource)
Art has the unique ability to reflect the human heart, surface difficult life questions buried beneath the busyness of everyday life, and build bridges between communities. This is especially significant in China, where increasing restrictions make it harder to attract people to churches. In such a landscape, creative arts with a kingdom perspective offer an effective, subtle, yet powerful way to introduce gospel values and foster meaningful connections.

Guilin: To Pray Well, We Need to Know Our City (March 17, 2025, China Partnership)
Last year, our church participated in a training that really emphasized prayer walking. Now, we’ve started to practice prayer walking. Before walking, we did a training. I started by asking people if they loved Guilin. But when I asked our congregation if they knew who the mayor or the Party Secretary were, no one knew. This shows how unengaged we are. I shared some Scriptures about why it’s important to pray for our city, then sent people out in pairs to pray in different parts of the city.

Society / Life

“Different Armies, Same Hole”: Hangzhou Jobseekers Compared with Terracotta Warriors (March 11, 2025, China Digital Times)
On March 1, a job fair in Hangzhou brought together 35,000 job seekers with 830 potential employers, from state-owned enterprises to tech companies like Alibaba and Hikvision. While media reports highlighted attendees’ impressive qualifications and the number of initial contacts made, Weibo users noted that a publicity photo of the event bore a strong resemblance to the exhibition hall of Xi’an’s famous Terracotta Warriors.

Love Without Labels: Chinese Revise the Rules on Relationships (March 12, 2025, Sixth Tone)
This sentiment has become common today among young Chinese people, as they increasingly prioritize personal happiness and flexibility over commitment. With the economic pressures and individualism present in modern Chinese society, experts say more couples are opting for so-called “situationships” over traditional relationships, focusing solely on their love connection without looking too far into the future.

China’s Senior Influencer Boom: A New Opportunity for Foreign Brands (March 16, 2025, ChinaSkinny)
For a long time, China’s elderly population was seen as falling behind in the country’s rapid modernization. The pace of technological and social change over the past few decades left many seniors struggling to keep up, while the narrative around aging was often associated with decline and isolation. But that perception is changing fast. A new wave of senior influencers are breaking stereotypes, capturing massive online audiences, and reshaping attitudes toward aging.

Married Chinese Women Are Buying Their Own Homes. Why? (March 18, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Ultimately, marital houses aren’t simply cold steel and concrete structures, but a reflection of mutual negotiations between generations and genders, traditional norms and modern legal codes. In the future, as the law is refined and social concepts evolve, the role of the marriage house may change, but it will always be a window into the institutional shifts taking place within the Chinese family.

Economics / Trade / Business

Opinion | 4 Lesser-Known Factors Shaping China’s Destiny (March 13, 2025, South China Morning Post)
I will touch on four key issues that are less commonly discussed, but nevertheless important: energy and food security and the US dollar; the role of capital markets in economic transformation; Global South engagement; and China’s intrinsic attractiveness.

Make Room Starbucks and McDonald’s. China’s Mixue and Other Brands Win Fans in Southeast Asia (March 14, 2025, AP News)
Southeast Asia, offering alternatives to big name American chains and expanding Beijing’s commercial and cultural influence in neighboring economies. The Chinese beverage giant Mixue Group has become the world’s largest F&B chain by number of outlets, overtaking Starbucks and McDonald’s. The company, whose brand name Mixue Bingcheng means “Honey Snow Ice City,” in Chinese, is capitalizing on the region-wide sweet tooth with affordable offerings of ice cream, coffee and bubble tea drinks.

China Unveils 30-Point Toolbox to Lift Consumption (March 16, 2025, South China Morning Post)
China has vowed to increase household wealth, boost the stock and property markets and funding for artificial intelligence (AI), under a 30-point action plan to stimulate consumption released on Sunday. The action plan was jointly released by the general office of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee, and the State Council, China’s Cabinet.

China’s New Consumption Boost Plan Summarized (March 18, 2025, ChinaSkinny)
On Sunday, the Chinese government released the Special Action Plan for Boosting Consumption, outlining a series of measures aimed at stimulating domestic demand. The plan spans eight key areas, from income growth and consumption capacity to improving the consumer environment and optimizing regulations. Below is a summary of the eight pillars of the plan.

Science / Technology

From Chatbots to Intelligent Toys: How AI Is Booming in China (March 10, 2025, BBC News)
Money is pouring into AI businesses seeking more capital, fueling domestic competition. There are more than 4,500 firms developing and selling AI, schools in the capital Beijing are introducing AI courses for primary and secondary students later this year, and universities have increased the number of places available for students studying AI.

Chinese EV Maker BYD Says New Fast-Charging System Could Be As Quick As Filling Up a Tank (March 17, 2025, The Guardian)
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has unveiled a new charging system that it said could make it possible for EVs to charge as quickly as it takes to refill with petrol and announced for the first time that it would build a charging network across China. The so-called “super e-platform” will be capable of peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling cars that use it to travel 400km (249 miles) on a five-minute charge, founder Wang Chuanfu said at an event live-streamed from the company’s Shenzhen headquarters on Monday.

Living Cross-Culturally

What Kind of Beijing Expat Are You? (March 15, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
Beijing is a whole mix of ethnicities and cultures. You see people from all over the world have the time of their life in this city. It’s vibrant and welcoming! In this melting pot of so many different people from a whole range of countries, we’ve come up with a list of ten different types of expats. Read on to find out which type you are.

Travel / Food

Video – ‘Healthy and Good Looking’: Chinese Consumers Go Bonkers for Bagels (March 15, 2025, CNN)
In China, bagels can cost 10-20 times more than a traditional bun, but locals think the creative flavors and health benefits of the chewy, newly-trendy bread are well worth the price.

Language / Language Learning

Mandarin Monday: How To Talk About AI in Chinese (March 17, 2025, The Beijinger Blog)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days, from chatbots to self-driving cars. If you’re living in Beijing or just interested in tech, knowing how to discuss AI in Chinese can be incredibly useful. Whether you’re chatting with friends, attending a tech conference, or reading the latest news, here’s a guide to help you navigate the world of AI vocabulary in Mandarin.  

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Influencer Diplomacy (March 13, 2025, China Media Project)
The recent visit by a group of Indonesian content creators to Chongqing seems at first glance to be a feel-good tour focusing on local cuisine, modern wonders and traditional culture. But the visit exemplifies the influencer strategy in action, and shows how increasingly local and regional propaganda offices from China are also becoming involved in such efforts across Southeast Asia. 

Chinese Blockbuster Holds a Lesson for Soft Power (March 15, 2025, East Asia Forum)
The release of Ne Zha 2 marks a turning point for China’s film industry, breaking box-office records and achieving unprecedented international success. Unlike state-driven media efforts, Ne Zha 2 has gained traction through market forces, challenging Hollywood’s dominance and signalling that Chinese animation may soon compete globally. This success sends a clear message to the Chinese government — step back and allow the market to drive the reach of Chinese culture.

‘Discarded Like a Dirty Rag’: Chinese State Media Hails Trump’s Cuts to Voice of America (March 18, 2025, BBC News)
Chinese state media has welcomed Donald Trump’s move to cut public funding for news outlets Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, which have long reported on authoritarian regimes. Critics have called the move a setback for democracy but Beijing’s state newspaper Global Times denounced VOA for its “appalling track record” in reporting on China and said it has “now been discarded by its own government like a dirty rag”.

RedNote Walks China’s Digital Tightrope (March 18, 2025, East Asia Forum)
After TikTok was banned, Chinese-owned lifestyle app RedNote became unexpectedly popular with US users, fostering a unique cross-border connection between US and Chinese netizens. As authorities in China debate balancing censorship rules with the app’s international reach, some suggest an adaptive regulatory approach might be undertaken. This approach would facilitate global cultural exchange while maintaining China’s information control, which could reshape this approach from the traditional practice of creating two separate versions of the app.

Pray for China

March 17 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On Mar. 17, 1959, 23-year-old, Tenzin Gyatso (丹增嘉措), the 14th Dalai Lama, fled Lhasa for India as Tibetans began an uprising against the Chinese army. Pray for the few Tibetans who have found true freedom in Christ to bring light to their fellow countrymen. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

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

Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Our goal is to promote prayer from every US state for every Chinese province (and county). Click on your state below to see which Chinese province to adopt in prayer, and for more info on how to begin praying!

Events

From Pontius Pilate to Chairman Mao: Religion and Politics (Asia Society)
Throughout history, religious beliefs and faith-based movements have played a crucial role in resisting authoritarianism, advocating for human rights, and inspiring social change. This event will explore the intersection of faith, dissidence, and political power across history and cultures. On Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m., Harrington Spear Paine Professor at Princeton University Elaine Pagels and David C. Steinmetz Distinguished Professor of World Christianity at Duke Divinity School Lian Xi will discuss these themes and draw parallels between their recent books.
Date: April 2, 2025
Time: 6:30-8:00PM
Location: 725 Park Ave, New York, NY 10021
Cost: Non Members – $15, Members – $8