My Chineseness May Be Different from Yours
Whether I called myself Chinese, Korean, or Taiwanese, none of these identities seemed capable of describing me fully.
ZGBriefs
ZGBriefs | November 5, 2026
Keeping China’s Labor Misery Off the Record (October 28, 2026, China Media Project) Feng Rui’s case comes amid an increasingly precarious labor market and a social security system under strain. As China’s government continues to release growth data whose validity some economists find questionable, viral social media posts of retirement-age individuals searching for employment and eating out of the trash reflect the country’s pessimistic mood.
ZGBriefs | October 29, 2026
Swallowing the Dictionary: Bao, Boba, and the English Appetite for Chinese Words (October 22, 2026, The World of Chinese)
ZGBriefs | October 22, 2026
Saunas and Scuba Diving: Inside China’s Unconventional 24/7 Mega Spas (October 18, 2026, CNN) Across China, people like Wang are visiting expansive, multistory, 24-hour facilities that combine spa amenities with entertainment of every sort.
ZGBriefs | October 15, 2026
There Is No Such Thing as Chinese Food (October 9, 2026, Numb and Spicy, via Substack) I had the banquet-hall dim sum experience for the first time in Maryland.
More Articles
A Story of God’s Love
Hadn’t we tried our best? If you don’t need to use me, what am I supposed to do?
Staying, Leaving, and Finding a Way Forward
Following the first installment in our Stories from Inside the Church in China series, “The Pressure of Ordinary Faith”, these three stories circle around a question facing some Chinese Christians today.
Born to Not Fit In
Through my many travels and encounters, I have discovered that the non-fitting place is precisely where I am meant to be as a disciple of Jesus among God’s people.
The Lockdown That Made Shanghai Home
When I moved to China, I had no idea what would happen or where God would lead me. All I knew was that he had clearly led me to Shanghai.
The Work of Remaining
What drew me out of that familiar shadow narrative was the even sweeter voice of Jesus, calling me to abide in him and rest in an identity found in him before bearing fruit.
When Questions about Eternity Become Personal
Knowing our final destination is not only hope for the future—it changes how we face sorrow today.
When Our Children Don’t Go to School
We did not choose this path to raise elite children, nor to escape the pressures of school. We need to stay close to the Lord with the simple trust of a child and seek his will for us.
Living at the Hyphens
Instead of being treated as an obstacle to be removed, difference becomes a prompt for inquiry and conversation, and, one hopes, for unexpected revelation.
Leaving China, Entering Mission?
Chinese churches are going abroad—but are they truly entering mission?
When Fear Sets the Table
Ghost Month sets the table to invite wandering spirits to dine and be satisfied. The gospel announces something altogether different.
The Pressures of Ordinary Faith
Prompted in part by Sam Ren’s recent article, “The Displaced Minority,” these brief vignettes offer glimpses of ordinary Christian life in Mainland China that often remain unseen.