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 | November 13, 2025

A Chinese Coffee Shop Called Itself People’s Cafe. That Name Got it Roasted (November 9, 2025, CNN) A Chinese coffee chain has apologized and changed its name after state media roasted it for misusing a word revered by the nation’s communist government.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | November 6, 2025

A Town in Northeast China Has Shrunk by a Third Since 2010. Here’s One Family’s Story (October 30, 2025, NPR) Lin Xin's story highlights the fast-unfolding demographic shifts happening in China, where the population is shrinking and aging.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | October 30, 2025

The Last Newsstand in Shanghai (MultiMedia Story) (October 23, 2025, Sixth Tone) Behind the counter is 68-year-old Jiang Jun — a former national model worker, an honorary distinction placed upon citizens who exemplify the ideals of socialism.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | October 23, 2025

Decoding Chinese Politics (2025, Asia Society Policy Institute) China is one of the most important but least understood countries in the world. Its decisions will shape the future of international business, diplomacy, and security.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | October 16, 2025

Pastors and Staff from Underground Church Are Arrested in China (October 13, 2025, NPR) Christian pastor and father of U.S. citizens along with dozens of church staff and members have been arrested in China amid a crackdown, his daughter and the church say.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | October 9, 2025

How China’s Persecuted Reach China’s Marginalized (October 3, 2025, The Gospel Coalition) What does it look like for the persecuted church to serve its communities? Is it worth the high cost when Christians are limited and powerless to enact large-scale change?

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | October 2, 2025

Explainer | Here Are 5 Ways to Enter China Without a Visa, By Land, Sea or Air (September 27, 2025, South China Morning Post) Beijing continues to relax visa-free entry rules to attract more foreign visitors and boost the nation’s tourism sector.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | September 25, 2025

Official 2025 Beijing Visa, Residence Guide Drops for Foreigners (September 22, 2025, The Beijinger) The English-language guide consists of 39 pages of information related to entry, exit, visas, business, and residence for foreigners in China.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | September 18, 2025

Seeking News, Making China: A Conversation with John Alekna (September 12, 2025, Made In China Journal) In Seeking News, Making China: Information, Technology, and the Emergence of Mass Society (Stanford University Press, 2024), John Alekna explores how the rise of radio and the circulation of news transformed China’s political and social landscape.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | September 11, 2025

Flowing without Roots: The Identity Crisis of Foreigners’ Descendants in Mainland China (September 9, 2025, Made In China Journal) In 2009, a woman named Lou Jing, born to a Chinese mother and an African American father, went on a TV show in China and declared herself a proud and patriotic Chinese person (Leung 2015).