ZGBriefs | November 12, 2026
I Just Wanted a Mooncake. What Happened to the Economy? (September 30, 2026, Road to Hainan via Substack)
ZGBriefs
A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
Latest
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.
ZGBriefs | October 8, 2026
Pastor Ezra Jin: ‘God Poured Words’ Sustained Me Through 266 Days in a Chinese Cell (October 2, 2026, The Christian Post)
ZGBriefs | October 1, 2026
Full Moons, Mooncakes and Lanterns in Every Color: The Mid-Autumn Festival - In Pictures (September 24, 2026, The Guardian)
ZGBriefs | September 24, 2026
What to Watch at the Xi-Trump Summit (September 17, 2026, ChinaFile) We asked a group of China and U.S.-China relations experts what observers should watch to determine what the meeting actually changes...
ZGBriefs | September 17, 2026
Traveling to China? Here Are the Apps You’ll Need to Survive (September 14, 2026, CNET) So, you’re going to China and you need to get your phone in order, but you don’t know where to start.
ZGBriefs | September 10, 2026
Two Filmmakers, 1,100 Villages, and a Race to Record Rural China (September 4, 2026, Sixth Tone)
ZGBriefs | September 3, 2026
App Life in China (August 26, 2026, ChinaFile) The country has gone cashless, and you need a mobile phone tied to a verified identity to use Alipay and WeChat Wallet, and these are the only digital wallets that work.
ZGBriefs | August 27, 2026
From Mahjong Clubs to ‘Chinamaxxing’, Why Chinese Culture Seems to Be Everywhere (August 18, 2026, The Christian Science Monitor)