A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
The week-long holiday—which this year started on October 1, China’s National Day, and ended on Monday—is traditionally one of the country’s main travel periods involving billions of journeys inside and outside the country. This year’s holiday came as China’s economy is grappling with flagging growth and with consumer confidence lingering just above historic lows.
To Scale Peaks, Chinese Hikers Are Hiring Personal Cheerleaders (September 29, 2024, Sixth Tone) The service is part of a broader trend across the country, where young Chinese are increasingly seeking dazi, or “companions,” to counteract feelings of isolation. This emerging market—which includes services like gaming buddies and online chatting partners—is expected to be worth over $7 billion by 2025.
China’s attitudes towards AI may be at a turning point, with officials not only pushing it up the list of priorities but also coming to terms with its existential capabilities. Matt Sheehan is a Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specializing in China’s AI safety and governance. His latest paper highlights concerns within China’s government about regulating Artificial Intelligence.
The Chinese government has released 68-year-old Orange County resident David Lin, who has been behind bars since 2006 serving a life sentence for what the U.S. government says are bogus charges of contract fraud.
EXPLAINED: What Is the China-Africa Summit and Why Does It Matter (September 3, 2024, Radio Free Asia) Leaders of African countries are arriving in Beijing this week for a China-Africa summit, at which President Xi Jinping is expected to lay out his idea of a "shared future" with African nations, underpinned by Chinese demand for minerals and political support from Global South nations.
Academic/Science Bars are Trending in China’s First-Tier Cities (September 3, 2024, ChinaSkinny) Imagine attending an architecture talk at a live house in Guangzhou, diving into a sociology discussion at a bar in Shanghai or chatting about philosophy in an outdoor courtyard at a Beijing bar… Academic bars or science bars (学术酒吧) are becoming the latest trend in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. A typical scene sees consumers at the venues, drink in hand, listening to a lecture on a topic they’re passionate about…
Blockbuster Chinese Video Game Tried to Police Players - and Divided the Internet (August 25, 2024, BBC News) Ahead of Black Myth’s release, some content creators and streamers revealed that a company affiliated with its developer had sent them a list of topics to avoid talking about while livestreaming the game: including “feminist propaganda, fetishisation, and other content that instigates negative discourse.”
As we pray for Chongqing this month, several house church pastors told us about the needs and issues they see in their urban city. These pastors feel that Chongqing people are disconnected from their history and their roots. Perhaps due to the trauma of war or upheaval, they have noticed that many locals, both believers and unbelievers, are not aware of their heritage. For the church to flourish and move forward fruitfully, these pastors believe that local people must understand their background and know where they come from.
Chinese Rock Isn’t Dead (For Now) (August 12, 2024, Sixth Tone) In December, China will celebrate the 30th anniversary of a 3.5-hour concert in Hong Kong’s Hung Hom Coliseum featuring the country’s leading rock acts at that time: Dou Wei, Zhang Chu, He Yong, and the band Tang Dynasty. Often simply referred to as “The Hung Hom Concert,” it has legendary status in contemporary Chinese music lore, celebrated by many as a peak in Chinese rock music that has yet to be surpassed.
People walking in Shanghai at night with many colored lights advertising businesses. China Unveils Ambitious 5-Year Plan to Overhaul the Hukou System (August 2, 2024, The Diplomat) Economists generally believe that to revitalize its economy, China must pivot from investment-led growth to one that emphasizes domestic consumption and service sector development. Reforming the hukou system is seen as a key lever in this transition, potentially unleashing labor mobility and boosting consumer spending by fully integrating rural migrants into urban economies.
Interview—Understanding China's Transformation Firsthand with David Moser (July 29, 2024, National Committee on US-China Relations) Arriving in China more than thirty years ago with nothing more than an interest in Chinese culture and philosophy, David Moser ended up witnessing China's monumental evolution from a country just discovering Coca-Cola to a wealthy, worldly, and confident nation. His experiences in China inspired his enthusiasm for cultural exchange, the importance of curiosity, and the necessity of dialogue to grow greater understanding of the country he calls home.
Remembering Hong Kong’s “Queen of Swords” (July 19, 2024, Sixth Tone) Cheng Pei Pei, a pioneering actress and star of movies like “Come Drink with Me” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died July 17. She was 78. One of the foremost stars of Hong Kong’s wuxia martial arts boom in the 1960s, Cheng returned to acting in the 1990s and 2000s with a series of high-profile roles. Her representatives confirmed her death Friday.