ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs is for those who want and need to keep up on what is happening in China, but don’t have the time to monitor and track it all. We monitor more than 50 different news sources and curate the most relevant and interesting stories out of China each week. Topics include government, religion, society, economics, education, travel, and language, and books.

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ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | January 29, 2026

In China, AI Is No Longer Optional for Some Kids. It’s Part of the Curriculum (January 27, 2026, NPR News) Starting in the fall, every student in elementary and middle school in Beijing, and several other districts, began learning about AI.

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ZGBriefs | January 22, 2026

Who Are the Churches That China Is Persecuting? (January 19, 2026, Domino Theory) On the night of December 14, over 1,000 police officers surrounded Yayang Church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. At 3 a.m. they burst into the church “with extreme violence.”

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | January 15, 2026

Podcast - China’s Church Divided (January 8, 2026, Pekingology) Paul unpacks the Communist Party's views on religion, how the Catholic Church navigated the turbulent politics of 1980s China, and why the Vatican has renewed a controversial deal with Beijing.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | January 8, 2026

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.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | January 1, 2026

From Hakka Tulous to Blue Ocean Views: A Glimpse into 2025 Church Dedications Across China (December 28, 2025, China Christian Daily) For the Christian community in China, the year 2025 saw a diverse array of new church dedications.

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ZGBriefs | December 24, 2025

From 'Ping Guo' to Peace: How a Pun Created a Christmas Custom (December 22, 2025, China Christian Daily) For Christians and churches worldwide, Christmas is a season of celebration and a crucial time for evangelism. While methods vary globally—from cantatas to charity drives—churches in China have adopted a unique medium to share the gospel: the "Peace Apple."

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | December 18, 2025

The Chinese Christian Behind 2,000 Hymns (December 11, 2025, Christianity Today) Lü’s vocation as a hymn writer might seem surprising, as she never received any formal music training and learned how to write Chinese characters from a dictionary while shepherding sheep in a field.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | December 11, 2025

The Fire of the Century (December 9, 2025, Made In China Journal) On the second day of the fire at Wang Fuk Court, flames continued to sporadically flare up in the smouldering units, reigniting blazes across the buildings.

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ZGBriefs | December 4, 2025

Preparing Our Hearts (December 1, 2025, ChinaSource) We’re grateful to once again offer an Advent calendar—inviting believers around the world to join together in asking for God’s mercy and giving thanks for his blessings on Chinese Christians.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | November 20, 2025

The Great Reckoning (October 16, 2025, The Ideas Letter) “China isn’t just an analytical problem,” he said. It is “the master key to understanding modernity.”