Featured Article
From Icy to an Ice Icon: How Harbin Became a Winter Wonderland (January 2, 2026, The World of Chinese)
When much of China retreats indoors during the winter, the northeastern city of Harbin does just the opposite. By mid-December, a second luminous and crystalline ice city begins to rise beside the city’s Songhua River, featuring majestic castles, towers, and sculptures bathed in shifting colors. Despite temperatures plunging to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius, excited laughter and exclamations, spoken in an array of accents, echo late into the night from ice slides that stretch hundreds of meters.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
China Unveils New Ethnic Unity and Language Laws with ‘National Security Perspective’ (December 20, 2025, South China Morning Post)
China has unveiled new legislation to promote ethnic unity and the use of standard Chinese, warning of legal penalties for those who obstruct the use of the national language and linking its approach with national security policy. A draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress underwent its second review by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislative body, last week and will be open for public consultation until January 25.
2025 Recap: Five Key Developments in China’s Foreign Information Influence (December 30, 2025, The Diplomat)
In 2025, Beijing’s foreign information influence operations grew more sophisticated and insidious, leveraging emerging technologies, global platforms, and transnational repression tactics to advance Chinese Communist Party (CCP) narratives while silencing critics. Amid reduced Western countermeasures—particularly after sharp U.S. funding cuts—the playing field appears depressingly tilted in the CCP’s favor compared to just a year ago. Five developments from 2025 are especially notable, underscoring the evolving challenge in detecting, deterring, and responding to Beijing’s campaigns.
Xi Jinping Vows to Reunify China and Taiwan in New Year’s Eve Speech (December 31, 2025, The Guardian)
China’s president, Xi Jinping, has vowed to reunify China and Taiwan in his annual New Year’s Eve speech in Beijing. Speaking the day after the conclusion of intense Chinese military drills around Taiwan, Xi said: “The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.” China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, as part of its territory and has long vowed to annex it, using force if necessary. US intelligence is increasingly concerned about the advancing capabilities of China’s armed forces to launch such an attack if Xi decides the time is right.
America’s Raid on Venezuela Reveals the Limits of China’s Reach (January 5, 2026, The Economist) (subscription required)
The final foreign visitors to meet Nicolás Maduro in Caracas—prior to his unscheduled rendezvous with American troops—were senior Chinese diplomats. Just hours before he was snatched from his bedroom, Mr Maduro received a delegation led by Xi Jinping’s special envoy for Latin America. “China and Venezuela! United!” declared the beaming Venezuelan president, extolling the strength of the country’s strategic relationship with China. It is thus not hard to see why China reacted with such shock to Donald Trump’s stunning intervention in Venezuela. Not only did America capture one of China’s closest South American allies, it also exposed the limits of Chinese power.
Religion
From Reconnection to Strategic Prudence: A Three-Year Review of China’s Church International Exchanges (2023–2025) (January 1, 2026, China Christian Daily)
For observers of the church in China, the trajectory of international exchanges over the past three years has undergone a distinct transformation. What began as a rush of reconnection in 2023 evolved into a year of bold diplomatic breakthroughs in 2024 before settling into a new era of strategic prudence in 2025.
Interview With Professor Tobias Brandner: Understanding Hong Kong’s Diverse Christian Faith (January 2, 2026, China Christian Daily)
Originally from Switzerland, Tobias Brander came to Hong Kong with the Basel Mission in 1996. Having lived in Hong Kong for 29 years, he worked first as a prison chaplain and now teaches at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong as an academic professor. Also a church worker, Brander has been involved with many different groups of people, ranging from the homeless, people in substandard housing, drug traffickers, to rich people, people who work in high finance, and in property.
Fears grow for Chinese church as building encircled by special forces (January 6, 2026, Premier Christian News)
Special police forces and heavy machinery have surrounded a church in Zhejiang Province, China, prompting fears the building could be damaged or have its cross removed. Scaffolding around the roof and cross at Yayang Church have been shared on social media by Bob Fu, founder of watchdog and human rights advocacy group China Aid.
Confucian Culture and Christian Faith (January 6, 2026, ChinaSource)
This article revisits Gu Hongming’s The Spirit of the Chinese People to examine how Confucian culture and Christian faith are often compared—and at times conflated. While acknowledging areas of ethical resonance, the author carefully probes their fundamental differences and the dangers of cultural idolatry. At a moment when faith is frequently entangled with cultural and political identities, this reflection invites readers to consider how the gospel engages culture without being confined by it.
China detains six underground church members in latest crackdown, church tells members (January 7, 2026, Reuters)
Six members of an influential underground Protestant church in China were detained by police this week, according to a church statement to members seen by Reuters and non-governmental organisations, in the latest crackdown on Chinese Christians. […] The detentions of the members of the Early Rain Covenant Church, a large unofficial “house church” based in the southwestern city of Chengdu, took place on Tuesday, according to the church statement and a separate statement on the detentions from advocacy group Human Rights Watch.
Society / Life
A Second Life: Why Young Chinese Are Turning to Thrift? (December 26, 2025, The World of Chinese)
For Zhang Zhiruo, almost everything in her dorm room has a past: a laptop once owned by her sister, a mattress bought from a graduating student, and a blue waistcoat scored at a secondhand fair. A self-claimed “Queen of Garbage,” the 24-year-old college student in agriculture has stitched together a lifestyle almost entirely based on her secondhand finds.
‘Ferryman of the Souls’ : The Man Who Helps Taiwan’s Dead Return Home to China (December 27, 2025, The Guardian)
In the leafy back blocks of a military cemetery in northern Taiwan, Liu De-wen strides through a room holding rows and rows of shelves. He stops and stoops to the lowest row, opening a small, ornate gold door. He pulls out an urn, bundles it into his lap, and hugs it. “Grandpa Lin, follow me closely,” Liu says. “I am bringing you back home to Fujian as you wished. Stay close.”
China’s 2025 in Photos (December 31, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Sixth Tone presents a series of photos that capture the moments experienced by ordinary people, athletes, animals, and even robots.
The Buzzword Capturing Chinese Gen Z’s Individualism (January 6, 2026, Sixth Tone)
The expression “ai ni laoji”—“to love yourself”—was first uttered near the end of 2025, and has since taken over Chinese social media, earning “GOATed” and “kindest meme of the year” accolades. It spawned media think pieces. Celebrities have used it, too.
Economics / Trade / Business
In 2025 China Proved Its Innovation Prowess. But Are Some Workers Getting Left Behind? (December 29, 2025, Christian Science Monitor)
Hundreds of millions of Chinese like auntie are living on the margins. They lack the skills to land jobs in Beijing’s high-tech manufacturing economy. Given meager welfare benefits—especially for people classified as “rural” under China’s antiquated population control system—they must rely on creative wits and hard work to get by.
Emotional Economics: Why China’s Adults are Playing With Plushies Again (December 29, 2025, The World of Chinese)
Once dismissed as a childish or frivolous pastime, or at best a niche hobby, designer toys and plushies for adults are no longer alien to the general public. Earlier this year, the Labubu series surged into a global fad, with buyers lining up across the world to get their hands on the collectible vinyl plush toy.
Innovation and Exports Will Winnow China’s Car Industry In 2026 (January 6, 2026, South China Morning Post)
China’s car industry is expected to stagnate this year as it tries to catch its breath after years of growth. New energy vehicles (NEVs) are likely to continue increasing their market share but growth will be much lower than in recent years, with the penetration rate reaching around 60 percent.
Science / Technology
China Resets the Path to Comprehensive AI Governance (December 25, 2025, East Asia Forum)
Sometimes, the fastest way to govern a moving target is to stop aiming for a bullseye. China has applied this wisdom to artificial intelligence (AI), quietly removing plans for a single, high-level and comprehensive legal framework from the 2025 legislative schedule, published in May. Beijing is instead prioritising pilots, standards and targeted measures, and seizing the opportunity to learn from international experiences ahead of codifying an overarching statute.
Virtual Reality Is Taking Off in China—as Immersive Shows (December 30, 2025, Sixth Tone)
Virtual reality has proven less popular than American tech companies once hoped. Facebook rebranded to Meta with the expectation that everyone would be donning headsets to enter “the metaverse.” More than $70 billion in losses later, the company is changing strategy. Apple’s Vision Pro also failed to gain traction. But in China, 2025 was the year VR saw explosive growth—not as headsets for people to use at home, but as interactive shows that allow participants to visit foreign landmarks, explore digital recreations of historical events, or enter the universe of their favorite animated movies.
Travel / Food
A Sweeping Portrait of China’s Northwest (January 6, 2026, China Daily)
Xinjiang’s breathtaking natural and cultural scenery — diverse yet enigmatic — exudes inexhaustible allure for travelers. But where should one begin to explore? An ambitious new book, Hi, I’m Xinjiang, takes on the challenge to provide compelling insights into the region and help readers make informed choices.
Arts / Entertainment / Media
How China Turned Phone Games Into Stadium Spectacle (January 2, 2026, The Diplomat)
On November 8, a phone game achieved something only the largest sports leagues can manage: tens of thousands of spectators in a single national venue. Tencent’s Honor of Kings staged its King Pro League (KPL) Grand Final inside Beijing’s National Stadium—the Bird’s Nest—certified at 62,196 paying attendees, a new record for a video game match. Tickets disappeared in roughly the time it takes to refresh a screen: 12 seconds, according to event organizers and coverage at the time.
Books
The Books That Shaped My Thinking in 2025 (January 2, 2026, ChinaSource)
As 2025 draws to a close, I have just returned from my final overseas ministry trip of the year. After stepping off the plane, I took some time to look back over my reading from the past year. Keeping a record is not about accumulating more, but about digesting and sorting through. Only when we attempt to rearticulate the insights of others do they truly become nourishment for our own thinking. What follows are the five books that left the deepest impression on me this year.
Events
Online Courses for those working with Chinese students (Thriving Turtles)
January 19-30, 2026. Thriving Turtles Training is an initiative to equip front-line gospel workers with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective cross-cultural gospel ministers. These courses are asynchronous (not in real time) running for 6-10 hours over a 2-week period. They are NOT webinars, so you are free to work in your own time and time zone. Courses contain a variety of interactive activities including (written) discussion forums. For more information see our website https://www.thrivingturtles.org/online-courses/
Courses offered this year:
• Cultural Intelligence for Ministry
• Helping Your Friend Thrive in China
• Discipling People with a Chinese Worldview
• Culture Values and Distance
Pray for China
January 9 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On Jan. 9, 1957, Stephen Tong (唐崇榮牧师), then a 15-year old believer in communism, became a Christian after hearing a sermon by Ji Zhiwen (计志文牧师-Andrew Gih) on the last day of an evangelistic conference in East Java. Rev. Tong’s long-time ministry earned him the title of the “Billy Graham of the East.” Pray for him, his wife and their children to honor the Lord in all that they do. Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: “I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,” but now the Lord declares: “Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Samuel 2:30
Prayer 2026: Off the Beaten Path (January 1, 2026, China Partnership)
For 2026, we have selected eleven cities across China where we see God working. We have intentionally chosen cities that represent multiple regions within China, from the cold northeast to the more tropical southwest. For the first time ever, we have also chosen several cities from outside of China. Whether inside of China or out, though, all the cities we will be praying for are cities connected to the greater gospel movement we support in some way.
Pray for Imprisoned Chinese Christians (January 4, 2026, China Partnership, via Facebook)
This January, we will have a special month of prayer for imprisoned Christians in China. Pray for God’s grace and faithfulness to be with those who have been imprisoned, that they may be a witness and hold firm even in prison. May the Lord be with their families and their churches.
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)