A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
Exclusive: Pope hopes China deal on bishops will be renewed soon (July 5, 2022, Reuters) Pope Francis said that while the Vatican's secret and contested agreement with China on the appointment of Roman Catholic bishops is not ideal, he hopes it can be renewed in October because the Church takes the long view.
China cuts travel quarantine but retains zero-Covid approach (June 29, 2022, CNN) On Tuesday, the National Health Commission said incoming visitors need only spend seven days at a quarantine facility and three days at home.
20 Things We Learned from China’s 7th Census (June 17, 2022, Sixth Tone) There’s a lot to explore in this data, but here’s some of the first things we noticed, from an improving sex ratio to the tiny group of households who reported five generations sharing a single room.
China is encouraging college graduates to work in the countryside (June 13, 2022, CNN) China is urging college graduates to seek jobs in the countryside as youth unemployment in urban areas soars to the highest level in history.
Why the sparsely-populated South Pacific islands have become the next US-China contest (June 6, 2022, CNN) The island nations that stretch across the South Pacific – sparsely populated atolls and volcanic archipelagos, known more for tourism than lucrative natural resources – may not seem, at first glance, to be a major geopolitical prize. Yet, Pacific Island countries have become the latest arena for a great power contest between the United States and China.
"Runology:” How to "Run Away" from China (June 1, 2022, Council on Foreign Relations) China's forever lockdowns have caused some to look for a radical solution: to emigrate, or run away from what they see as a lost future in China.
Video: From Matteo Ricci to Pope Francis: Jesuits and Christian Dialogue in China (May 16, US-China Catholic Association) In his reflections, Dr. Anthony Clark examined how Jesuits have maintained Christian dialogue with China from 1582 until the present. As representatives of this uniquely Jesuit approach, Matteo Ricci and Pope Francis frame that exchange.
Here’s What Thousands of Christian WeChat Accounts Reveal About Chinese Internet Evangelism (May 13, 2022, Christianity Today) WeChat is a powerful digital media outlet with more than 1.2 billion users worldwide and tens of millions of “public accounts.” Over the past decade, WeChat accounts have been an important platform for Chinese Christians to speak about their faith and communicate the gospel.
A Teacher in China Learns the Limits of Free Expression (May 9, 2022, The New Yorker) How had the country experienced so much social, economic, and educational change while its politics remained stagnant?
Chinese Food Is a Celebration of Time and Place (April 19, 2022, Epicurious) “Authenticity” is a loaded word that many chefs like Tong stay away from, because the very concept discriminates against food that has evolved over years and generations.
Hong Kong’s iconic Star Ferry may launch its final journey after 142 years in service (April 25, 2022, The Points Guy) After 142 years of service, Hong Kong’s iconic Star Ferry may sail its last trip between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island — unless it gets help from big-bucks business investment.
The quest to save Cantonese in a world dominated by Mandarin (April 17, 2022, The Los Angeles Times) Cantonese is the language of San Francisco Chinatown’s dim sum restaurants and herbal shops, of Northern California towns such as Marysville, where Chinese gold miners settled in the 1850s. But in the U.S. too, Mandarin is what many new immigrants speak and what is taught in classrooms from elementary school through college.