Featured Article
Imprisoned Chinese Pastor’s Daughter Vows “Even Repression Cannot Extinguish Faith” (February 3, 2026, The Christian Post)
The daughter of an imprisoned Chinese pastor is expressing confidence as she shared the story of her father’s detention Monday during the sixth annual International Religious Freedom Summit, proclaiming that “even repression cannot extinguish us” and “God will not abandon us.”
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
Who Will Succeed Xi Jinping in China (February 5, 2026, The Diplomat)
Attention in China is gradually shifting toward the post-Xi Jinping era. This is not because Xi is expected to step down anytime soon from his posts as general secretary and president. Rather, it reflects the fact that even as Xi is widely expected to enter a fourth term, discussion of the post-Xi Jinping era has begun.
Will New High Seas Treaty Open a Fresh Front Line in South China Sea Disputes? (February 9, 2026, South China Morning Post)
The South China Sea continues to act as a lightning rod for competing claims among regional powers. In the first of a three-part series, Laura Zhou examines how a new conservation framework is being leveraged to advance territorial ambitions within these highly contested waters.
China Critic and Former Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Sentence to 20 Years in Hong Kong (February 9, 2026, NPR)
Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent. Lai, 78, was convicted in December of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. The maximum penalty for his conviction was life imprisonment.
Religion
The Family, the Church, and Persecution (February 5, 2026, China Partnership)
This January and February, we are spending a few months praying for the persecuted church in China. A Chinese pastor shares how his family and church weathered the years he spent in prison, and how they have grown since he was released. He says that, although the church was unified and loving in the face of external persecution, when the storm passed, they had to deal with internal pressure and disunity. But God was faithful throughout, and his grace was sufficient.
The West Reconsidered—Evangelical Turns and Self-Reflection (February 6, 2026, ChinaSource)
This article is Part 6 of a seven-part series adapted from a lecture delivered at Harvard Law School on May 1, 2025, at the Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Reproduced with permission from Dr. Ruth Okediji, faculty director. In Part 5, I followed China’s internal arc. Here, I turn outward to the modern West, especially the United States—its seasons of confidence and its self-questioning—and consider how these turns shape global perceptions of “Christianity.”
Horses in Chinese Culture and the Bible (February 10, 2026, ChinaSource)
As the Lunar Year of the Horse approaches, horses begin to crowd our digital world. On WeChat and Xiaohongshu in Chinese-language spaces—and on Facebook and Instagram beyond them—blessings and slogans gallop across the screen: “victory at the first gallop” (马到成功), “ten thousand horses surging forward” (万马奔腾), and “pressing on without pause” (马不停蹄). “Good fortune in the Year of the Horse” (马年大吉) appears again and again in animated stickers and memes, shared as casually as greetings.
Society / Life
The Mainstreaming of Social Science in China Isn’t Necessarily a Good Thing (February 3, 2026, Sixth Tone)
At first glance, it would seem as if the introduction of academic concepts from the social sciences would enrich public debate by adding more specialized knowledge, thereby giving it greater depth. Paradoxically, however, these academic terms have failed to generate discussions that are any more substantive and have instead rapidly evolved into simple labels that can be shared online, sometimes even serving as abrupt conversation enders.
The Life Stories of China’s “Line Walkers” – Pressures, Fractures and Individual Choices (February 4, 2026, China Unofficial Archives)
(Scroll to the bottom for content in English) As a former journalist accustomed to the written word, I attempted to use long interviews as a “telephoto lens” to focus on the shifting fortunes and struggles of 15 Chinese line-walkers in both China and the United States. My goal was to present the deeper implications of diaspora, cultural conflict, and identity suspension as they relate to political science, sociology, and anthropology.
Dorm Storm: China’s Students Clash Over Streaming on Campus (February 5, 2026, Sixth Tone)
Wu Xiao was in her third year of university when she joined the growing ranks of China’s “student streamers.” Despite a packed class schedule, she would wake at 4:30 a.m. every day to start livestreaming, chatting with fans for hours about the world of entertainment. Despite the intense workload, she graduated top of her class in 2025, cheered on by a loyal online following.
Happy New Year, Potter (February 5, 2026, China Media Project)
As the Lunar New Year of the horse gallops in and families across Asia prepare for one of the year’s biggest celebrations, Chinese social media has found an unlikely mascot: Draco Malfoy. Across Chinese social media platforms, including Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin, thousands of videos emerged this week of people hanging traditional red square paper decorations on their doors bearing the characters for “blessing” or “good fortune” — known as fuzi (福字). But this year, in a magical twist, these fuzi featured the smirking face of the bully from House Slytherin who harassed Harry and Hermione in the halls of Hogwarts.
“Was I Scared Going Back to China? No”: Ai Weiwei on AI Western Censorship and Returning Home (February 9, 2026, The Guardian)
Ai Weiwei is talking me through the decision-making process before his first visit to China in over a decade. The artist, known around the world as the most famous critic of the Chinese communist regime, had to do some fraught arithmetic before deciding to head back home.
Economics / Trade / Business
In Transition: Is Radio in China Tuning Out or Just Reinventing Itself? (February 5, 2026, The World of Chinese)
Once a constant companion of commuters and late-night listeners, radio stations in China are shuttering amid declining listenership and shrinking advertising revenue. But the medium’s core elements are reemerging elsewhere in new forms of listening.
Arts / Entertainment / Media
The Kill Line: What america Looks Like on Chinese Social Media (December 26, 2025, Medium)
In the latter half of 2025, a phrase began circulating widely on Chinese social media: “The Kill Line” (杀线). It is not a slogan invented by policymakers or academics, nor a meme meant purely for ridicule. It is a sharp, unsettling, and revealing metaphor used by ordinary Chinese commentators to describe how American society appears from the outside.
Chinamaxxing : Why Gen Z Wants You to ‘Diagnose’ Yourself as Chinese (January 26, 2026, The Spinoff)
Meet the self-diagnosed Chinese, the western-world-based digital natives who wish they could call China their motherland. Since late 2025, a niche social media trend that has come to be known as “Chinamaxxing” has gripped generations Alpha and Z. The obsession is a solution to an ongoing cultural malaise felt by many young people staring into the grim abyss of the rest of their lives: to achieve inner peace, simply become more Chinese.
Tokens of AI Bias (February 9, 2026, China Media Project)
China’s propaganda system is engaged in an all-out information guidance struggle abroad, to project positive messaging about China to the rest of the world, a strategy of “international communication” (国际传播) that has commandeered the services of Chinese institutions from a wide variety of fields to undermine the dominance of Western narratives about the country. Negative facts about the country’s human rights record, for example, are waved aside by the country’s system of International Communication Centers, filling social media with a steady diet of positive messages about China’s traditional culture, commitment to green technology and international benefits via the Belt and Road Initiative.
Probe Finds Major Art Mismanagement at China’s Nanjing Museum (February 10, 2026, Sixth Tone)
A high-level investigation has uncovered systemic mismanagement and illegal art sales at the prestigious Nanjing Museum in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, with nearly two dozen officials facing disciplinary actions.
Travel / Food
China’s Cruise Industry Passes Major Milestone as Beijing Eyes Travel Boom (February 9, 2026, South China Morning Post)
China’s first home-grown large cruise ship has now handled 1 million passengers since its commercial debut two years ago, a sign of progress as Beijing strives to boost household spending on services and cultivate new growth drivers. The operator of the Adora Magic City announced the news via its website on Sunday, saying it aimed to propel the growth of China’s cruise economy and establish a “Chinese benchmark” for the global cruise industry.
Two Days in Wuhai, the Small Coal-Mining City Dubbed “China’s Dubai” (February 10, 2026, The World of Chinese)
Seaside and deserts both inspire romantic imaginings that relieve people from realities, making them popular holiday destinations. It’s rare, though, to find the two in one place—and it’s even from an inland city over 500 kilometers away from the nearest Bohai Sea in northern China.
What’s In a Name? How Kalgan Transformed From Gate, to City, to Planet (February 10, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Many know Zhangjiakou as a top destination for winter sports, but not too long ago, it was once known as Kalgan — capturing the imaginations of travelers, presidents, and science fiction writers alike.
Education
China’s Graduates Face a Whole New Set of Gruelling Tests (subscription required) (February 5, 2026, The Economist)
Around 2024 Mr Wang, a tutor for people taking graduate-admissions tests, saw the number of students in his classes plummet by more than half. At first he thought something had gone badly wrong with his teaching. But comparing notes with others in the industry, he found the problem was pervasive. Mr Wang had also casually posted an ad offering his services as a tutor for the national civil-service exam. He was shocked to receive hundreds of replies. His newly opened class was filled with top talent, including two students who had flown from Hong Kong after graduating there.
Language / Language Learning
New Book: Hacking Chinese: the Dragon Collection (February 9, 2026, The Beijinger)
Hacking Chinese; the Dragon Collection is exactly what it sounds like: an anthology. I took the articles I published in 2024 and gathered them in one place. The idea is to mark a year and keep it intact. Online articles tend to drift away, get updated, replaced, reorganized, or simply forgotten. A book does not do that; it stays where you put it.
History / Culture
A Brief History of Confucianism (February 3, 2026, Foreign Policy) (subscription required)
This week, we’re taking a step back from the news cycle to explore the rich history of Confucianism—and what it means that Chinese President Xi Jinping invokes it today.
Books
Islamic China with Rian Thum (February 3, 2026, China Books Podcast)
“It’s easy to discount the ethnic and cultural diversity that has made up the itself somewhat made up notion of the Middle Kingdom, and religion is no exception. Not many people think of China as an Islamic nation, yet Islam has been an important patch on the Chinese quilp for over a millennium, with native-born Chinese Muslims playing a prominent role in the nation, despite often being persecuted or seen as a foreign element, as many still are today. In his new book, Islamic China, the scholar Rian Thum, tells the interlinked stories of a score of Chinese Muslims, both famous and obscure, across multiple ethnicities, sects and centuries.”
Events
East Asian Christianity Conference: Christian Witness and Presence Among East Asian Religions (Gordon-Conwell Seminary)
As an annual gathering, this event brings scholars and practitioners together to engage comparative research on Christianity’s development and significance in East Asia, with implications for church ministry and mission today. The theme of this year’s conference is Christian witness and presence among East Asian religions. Church leaders from Asia and the West will come together to foster creative Christian discourse on outreach and leadership, drawing on current academic research and the lived experience of those in frontline ministry.
April 9-11, 2026
Hamilton, MA
Pray for China
February 14 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
Zhu Xinghun (朱醒魂牧师) was one of the first Chinese overseas missionaries. He became a Christian at age 17 after being challenged by Matthew 10:32: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.” After professing his faith, Zhu was kicked out of his home by his father, and a missionary doctor in Guangzhou paid for Zhu to attend seminary. While there he heard Robert A. Jaffray (翟辅民) preach on Daniel 1:8 and dedicated his life to the Lord. In Feb. 1921, he followed Jaffray to Vietnam. When the Chinese Foreign Missionary Union (中华国外布道团) was formed by nationals under Jaffray’s encouragement, Zhu became the first to be sent out. He and his wife, Zhang Yisheng (张一生), served among the Chinese who had settled in Sulawesi, Indonesia, from 1928 until 1960 when Zhu had a stroke. Pray for Christians to resolve not to defile themselves with the things of the world. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. Daniel 1:8
Prayer 2026: Off the Beaten Path (January 1, 2026, China Partnership)
Praying Through the ChinaSource Journal (October 13, 2025, ChinaSource)
Praying Through ZGBriefs (August 29, 2025, ChinaSource)
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Prayer Walking as a Rhythm of Life (May 30, 2025, ChinaSource)