ZGBriefs | October 17, 2024

Featured Article

Pets in China Are Earning “Snack Money” in Cafes as Their Owners Send Them to Work (October 14, 2024, CNN)
Pet cafes are a big business in China. Visitors get to interact with the animals that roam the shop, allowing the venue owners to charge more for the experience. Customers visiting China’s cat and dog cafés usually pay an entrance fee, ranging from 30-60 yuan ($4-8.5) per person, or simply need to order something like a cup of coffee.

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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

What to Know About the Two Adorable Giant Pandas Now Heading to Washington, D.C. From China (October 14, 2024, Smithsonian Magazine)
For the first time in more than two decades, giant pandas are making a long journey from China to Washington, D.C. Two of the iconic, black-and-white creatures—a male named Bao Li and a female called Qing Bao—are officially on their way to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, according to the government-run China Wildlife Conservation Association.

China Treads Cautiously on Expanding Trade and Investment with the Taliban (October 11, 2024, China Digital Times)
Three years after the Chinese government’s cautiously supportive stance toward the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan led to Chinese netizens blasting their government for being “Taliban in spirit,” China has maintained its friendly relationship with the Taliban, and numerous diplomatic and investment deals demonstrate their growing cooperation.

Passport Restrictions on Public Employees, and China’s “New Cultural Emigres” (October 11, 2024, China Digital Times)
Back in China, authorities are making it harder for citizens to emigrate in the first place, notably by forcing some citizens to hand in their passports. The South China Morning Post reported in June that “groups covered by the travel restrictions include almost all of China’s civil servants, most employees in the state-owned finance sector and state-owned enterprises, and the leadership at universities and hospitals,” and “even government contractors at the community level.”

Takeaways from China’s Latest War Games Around Taiwan (October 15, 2024, Reuters)
“The People’s Liberation Army wants to prove that we have the ability to block the import of energy resources for Taiwan, thereby having an important impact on the economy and society,” the newspaper quoted Zhang as saying.

Foreign military attaches and analysts say this element of the drills is being closely scrutinised, as such a tactic could pressure and isolate Taiwan ahead of any full-blown invasion.

Religion

From Darkness to Light (October 15, 2024, ChinaSource)
My parents sacrificed to give me the best life, but I almost never received physical or verbal affection. Conversations were a rare occurrence at home, and I was ostracized at school for being different. Once, when I asked my dad about the purpose of life, he said there was none—we just need to work hard. If we “eat bitterness” now, we can suffer less later and maybe be comfortable in old age. I asked what happens after we die. “Nothing. There’s nothing.” I started having my first suicidal thoughts when I was six years old.

Do Chinese Christians Still Need to Study Theology Abroad in the Online Learning Era? (October 14, 2024, Chinese Church Voices)
I have seen many pastors struggle with the dilemma of studying abroad versus staying home, many of them seeking God’s guidance in great pain. I would like to discuss this tension by combining my years of overseas study experience with the realities of today’s internet and artificial intelligence era, in order to propose the best solution for studying theology today.

The Double Ninth Festival (October 11, 2024, ChinaSource)
The Double Ninth Festival is not only about honoring the elderly but also about reflecting on life and seeking spiritual renewal. As the old Chinese saying goes, “Having an elder in the family is like possessing a treasure (家有一老，如有一寶).” For Chinese Christians, this festival can serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring values that connect us across generations.

Xi’an: “Now It’s a Metropolis” (October 14, 2024, China Partnership)
When I first arrived, there were about 8 million people—now it’s 13 million. Xi’an feels different. It used to be a small city, but now it’s a metropolis. It makes me wonder how many churches there are in such a large city. I’ve noticed that many of us, even if we are meeting for the first time, have heard of each other before.

The J-Curve: Suffering Because Of Sin (October 10, 2024, China Partnership)
This is not easy. Every time they talk, my mother says, “Your brother, he’s so thin! He has lost a lot of weight! He feels so sad, and is not happy!” I told my parents that this is his journey. They need to allow him to experience hardships. They can show love, but not love without truth.

Society / Life

A Japanese Boy Was Killed in China. Was Cyber-Nationalism to Blame? (October 13, 2024, BBC)
For years, posts related to events during World War Two have proliferated on the Chinese internet, with the Japanese invasion during the war remaining a sensitive topic for nationalists on both sides. In China, Japan’s wartime atrocities have long been a sore point as Beijing maintains that Tokyo has never fully apologized.

Traditional Collectibles: the New Social Currency for Chinese Youth (October 15, 2024, ChinaSkinny)
Chinese youth are buying traditional collectibles not just for decoration or fun but as a form of “spiritual comfort.” They hope the symbolic meaning and energy behind these items will help them relieve anxiety and heal in their stressful lives.

Spike in Arrests Leaves Chinese Detention Centers Overflowing (October 8, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
Detention centers in China are overflowing amid a sharp rise in the number of arrests in the first half of this year, according to defense lawyers and recent government figures. In the six months to June 30, prosecutors approved the formal arrest of 367,000 suspects, up 18.5% from the same period in 2023.

Disabled Orphans Bear Brunt of China’s Overseas Adoption Ban (October 9, 2024, BBC)
Up-to-date statistics are not readily available, but Beijing’s civil affairs ministry said that 95% of international adoptions between 2014 and 2018 involved children with disabilities. These children will “have no future” without international adoption as they are unlikely to be adopted domestically, says Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow at the U.S. based Council on Foreign Relations.

The Women Living Alone—and Loving It—on Xiaohongshu (October 15, 2024, Sixth Tone)
A stylish young woman steps through the door of her home, the “welcome back” chime of her smart doorbell system ringing in the background. The camera pans through her tastefully decorated apartment as she begins her post-work routine: cooking fresh food, playing with her pet, a skincare regimen, and streaming TV. Her home is cozy and filled with fancy equipment: It’s the apartment of a “refined girl,” as the vlogger describes herself, living a refined single life.

Science / Technology

Scientists Create Surgical Stitch to Aid Healing by Electrical Stimulation (October 8, 2024, The Guardian)
The humble stitch plays a crucial role in surgery, holding a gash together while tissues repair. Now scientists have created a type of suture they say can help speed up wound healing and reduce the risk of infection.

Researchers in China have created a suture that when put under strain—as occurs during movement—electrically stimulates the wound.

Education

Pointing Fingers: Exhibition Zooms In on Student Stress (October 9, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Qiao Fei’er, 18, began taking closeup photos of students’ middle fingers at her high school in Xi’an, the capital of China’s northwestern Shaanxi province. Rather than a statement of defiance, her focus was the “writer’s callus,” hardened skin around the knuckles caused by gripping a pen for long periods. The project eventually evolved into “The Body Being Shaped,” an exhibition in which Qiao reflects on the student experience at Chinese schools and on her own education.

Economics / Trade / Business

An In-Depth Look at China’s Economic Crisis, and Why Inexperience Is Fueling the Fire (October 11, 2024, South China Morning Post)
This is the first in a three-part series delving into the unprecedented challenges China is facing on its road to economic recovery, from inexperience in dealing with such crises to the compounding implications of internal demographic shifts and external trade hurdles.

Xi Jinping’s Quantitative Easing Unlikely to Save Economy (October 11, 2024, China Brief Archives – Jamestown Foundation)
In an apparent U-turn, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has initiated stimulus policies that have boosted the stock market and are attempting to jump-start key sectors and meet the annual GDP growth target of 5%.

Language / Language Learning

Three Things I Wish I had Known as and Advanced Student of Chinese: The Time Machine, Part 3 (October 14, 2024, Hacking Chinese)
If you thought the intermediate plateau was daunting, I can tell you that the advanced slopes beyond go on forever. To continue learning and improving, and approaching a near-native level, you need to find not just new ways of learning, but also new sources of motivation to keep going

Mandarin Monday: 15 Essential Autumnal Words and Phrases (October 14, 2024, The Beijinger Blog)
We’ve already taken a look at some of the best places in Beijing you can go to view autumn leaves, but what about talking about autumn leaves and other fall-related vocab in Chinese? Well, if you want to brush up on some vocab to talk about the season, here are some essential words and phrases.

Travel / Food

The Puzzling History of China’s Most Controversial Flavoring (October 14, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Over a century later, it’s almost impossible to imagine Chinese food without MSG. But the seasoning’s success was by no means baked in. From the initial boycott to more recent panics about its health effects, MSG’s place in the Chinese public consciousness has fluctuated wildly over the past century.

Corn Drinks: A Stylish Sip for Health-Conscious Consumers in Autumn (October 14, 2024, ChinaSkinny)
Numerous independent coffee shops across various cities now sell new corn-flavoured drinks. These include corn-based lattes with corn soft candy, corn dirty lattes. In addition to corn lattes, new variations have emerged, including signature drinks made with fresh corn juice, light corn milk teas, and fruit teas with a base of corn silk tea.

Pray for China

October 14 (Pray for China: A Walk Through History)
On Oct. 14, 1925, influential missions leader Thomas Wang Yongxin (王永信牧师) was born into a Christian family in Beijing. He came to Christ through evangelist Dr. Song Shangjie (宋尚节博士- John Sung) and was discipled by Mr. Wang Mingdao (王明道先生). Thomas left China in 1949, became a pastor in Taiwan, and then moved to the U.S. in 1959. His passion was the Great Commission and mobilizing Christian involvement in key social issues. Before his death at age 93 on Jan. 4, 2018, Rev. Wang played key leadership roles in a number of mission mobilization efforts, e.g. the Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (CCCOWE), the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Intercessors for China 1 Million Prayer Warriors by 2007 movement, and the Internet Mission Forum. Pray for Overseas Chinese Christians to follow Thomas Wang in answering the Lord’s call to fulfill the Great Commission, especially in internet missions and prayer for China.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8