Featured Article
Two Filmmakers, 1,100 Villages, and a Race to Record Rural China (September 4, 2026, Sixth Tone)“You have gone off route. Recalculating.” For the fourth time that day, Zhao Yushun and his wife, Yuan Zhenzhen, ignored the GPS. By then, jujube trees, signs advertising local specialties, and a view of distant mountains had already pulled them off course. Now it was a farmer sorting pears beneath a black sunshade by the roadside in Dali County, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
Chinese and Foreign Talent at Crossroads (August 26, 2026, SinoTalks)
In late July, China’s State Council issued the Regulation on Exit and Entry Administration to, among other goals, “safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests”. Scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026, the administrative regulation contains only 19 articles, but the ambiguous expressions therein will likely allow Chinese authorities to tighten their controls over Chinese citizens, especially those with scientific and technological backgrounds.
Why Beijing Cannot Take ASEAN’s Openness for Granted (August 28, 2026, China US Focus)
China-ASEAN relations are shaped by deep economic integration but also by territorial disputes, competitive pressures and persistent public unease toward Beijing. Building a more durable relationship will require greater strategic empathy from China, including more locally responsive economic engagement, a deeper understanding of ASEAN societies and more restrained diplomacy in managing regional tensions.
How the Chinese Government Has Controlled the Narrative on the Tibet Floods (September 4, 2026, The Diplomat)
As rescue efforts have continued on both sides of the border following the devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet, a fight over how the disaster is being reported has been growing in intensity on social media. The dispute centers on the claims and counterclaims following a story by the BBC’s China correspondent, Laura Bicker, about how China is censoring videos of the floods.
With Global South Tour, Xi Drums Up Support Ahead of Trump Meeting (September 4, 2026, The Christian Science Monitor)
“[Xi’s] underlying message is: ‘We have lots of friends,’” says Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London. On a deeper level, Mr. Xi’s travels are a manifestation of his strategy for China to displace the US as the number one superpower and forge a more Sino-centric world order. And Mr. Xi’s choice of destinations is especially telling, given that he has greatly tightened his control over foreign policy in Beijing since taking power in 2012.
Religion
Yantai: Living Among Immortals (September 3, 2026, China Partnership)
Join us this September as we pray for Yantai, a coastal city in Shandong Province. Yantai’s name means “smoke watchtowers,” and comes from the nearby watchtowers on Mount Qi, built in 1398 to light signal fires and alert the area to the Japanese pirates who were plaguing the area at the time. Today, Yantai is a city of about 7 million, and is the largest fishing seaport in Shandong.
Longing for Deeper Unity (September 4, 2026, ChinaSource)
Perhaps the future mission of Chinese churches is not simply to become an ethnic church with a global network, but to become, in Christ, a community of witness that crosses cultures, connects civilizations, and participates in the mission of the kingdom of God.
I Thought I Was Looking for a Better Church (September 7, 2026, ChinaSource)
At Christmas in 2023, I went to a Three-Self church in my hometown to watch a performance by the fellowship group my mother belonged to. Before the service began, the national anthem was played in the sanctuary, followed by a government-produced video. Sitting there, I quickly reached a conclusion: This had become the Communist Party’s church, not God’s church.
CCOWE 2026: A Jubilee Retrospective versus a Centennial Retrospective (September 8, 2026, ChinaSource)
In July 2026, I had the privilege of attending the Chinese Congress on World Evangelization (CCOWE) for the first time. Ten years had passed since the previous congress. This was the first post-pandemic gathering and also a Jubilee gathering of the CCCOWE Movement. If we take a word-by-word approach to the Chinese name of the CCCOWE Movement, each of its key terms is worth pondering. Although the context has changed dramatically over the past fifty years, each remains relevant.
Yantai: Gospel History (September 8, 2026, China Partnership)
This month we are praying for Yantai, in Shandong Province. Yantai is a port city on the Yellow Sea. In 1861, Yantai was opened to trade as a treaty port city. In those days, the city was known in the West as Chefoo, after the island which guards the deepwater harbor. Unlike Shanghai or Guangzhou, Yantai did not have a foreign concession, but many foreigners—including missionaries—quickly settled in the city. Modern church leaders say Yantai is still blessed by the heritage those early missionaries left behind.
Society / Life
Chinese Teens Are Turning to Mind-Numbing Drugs to ‘Run Away from Reality’ (subscription required) (August 25, 2026, BBC)
At 14, *Xiaomei, a high-performing student from a coastal province in China, decided to overdose on cough medication. She wanted to impress an older boy who told her it would help her relax. The tablets were usually only available with a prescription, but she managed to buy them online.
“Everyone Seems to have Forgotten’: In Tibet, Flood-Hit Families Search for the Missing and Grapple with China’s Silence (September 3, 2026, The Guardian)
Fan Hong last heard from her husband on the morning of the Nepal-Tibet disaster. More than a week later, the 31-year-old is desperately searching for information about Lin Bo, who was working on a Chinese highway project in Nepal. Struggling to get information from authorities, Fan turned to social media for help.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Can GLP-1s Fix China’s Obesity Problem? (September 8, 2026, The World of Chinese)
The needle was only a few millimeters long, but Li Xu couldn’t bring himself to use it. Instead, his mother-in-law administered his first shot, injecting him with 0.25 milligrams of semaglutide solution, the active ingredient in Ozempic. Worried that the dose hadn’t gone in properly, Li injected himself again. That accidental double start in September last year marked the beginning of a three-month weight-loss journey in which Li shed 15 kilograms, a pace that would have been difficult to achieve with diet and exercise alone.
Economics / Trade / Business
Beijing Ships Harmful Products It Restricts at Home (August 14, 2026, Jamestown Foundation – China Brief Archives)
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) enforces many product rules domestically without extending them to goods that leave the country. These cases span distinct ministerial jurisdictions, encompassing fentanyl precursors, flavored e-cigarettes, toxic children’s products, and large language models (LLMs).
Inside China’s Eerie Empty Megacities (September 4, 2026, 60 Minutes Australia)
As China’s economy boomed, giant metropolises seemingly shot out of nowhere. Cities were being built faster than architects could plan them. But in cities like Yujiapu the boom outran the demand as it still stands as a ghost town.
China’s Demise Was Gleefully Predicted by the West – Meanwhile, It Built an AI Revolution (September 3, 2026, The Guardian)
Almost from the moment it began, the end of the Chinese economic miracle has been much anticipated. Thick and fast, the books have come explaining how it will end badly. Overinvestment. A country wallowing in debt. The collapse of the property market. Political repression. The demand for democracy from a growing middle class. All have been put forward as reasons for the inevitable terminal crisis. Even those impressed by the country’s rapid growth took comfort from the notion that the west would continue to dominate advanced manufacturing while China would be stuck assembling TVs. And while the wait for its much-predicted demise has gone on and on, China has become the workshop of the world.
How AI Is Reshaping Chinese E-commerce Consumer Behavior (September 8, 2026, ChinaSkinny)
Alibaba’s advertising and marketing arm, Alimama, had their annual M Summit in Hangzhou last week. The general manager of performance products, Qianyu, shared how the company’s new AI targeting system is identifying unexpected customers.
History / Culture
This Rock Art in China Has Remained Bright Red for Nearly 2,000 Years. How? The Secret Ingredient Might Be Blood (August 25, 2026, Smithsonian Magazine)
For nearly 2,000 years, vivid red rock art has adorned the karst limestone cliffs of southern China, depicting drums, bells, weapons, animals and human figures. Despite being regularly blasted by wind, rain, heat and humidity, many of the ruby murals have survived largely intact for centuries—a feat that has long puzzled scientists.
Mount Putuo: The Many Faces of Guanyin’s Island (September 3, 2026, The World of Chinese)
As I sat on a ledge at Fayu Temple, a four-century-old Buddhist shrine halfway up the slope of Mount Putuo, the sky was blue, but the atmosphere was anything but calm. The courtyard in front of me, one of many in the sprawling temple complex, was thick with crowds and scented with the woody burn of incense.
Travel / Food
The Serious, Rivalrous Business of Chinese Barbecue (subscription required) (September 3, 2026, The Economist)
Step aside, Texas. The Chinese city of Qiqihar is laying claim to the global barbecue crown. Located in the country’s far north-east, it recently concluded a barbecue festival, inviting the world to enjoy its flavor. Banners across the city of 4m assert it is the “international barbecue capital”. That is a big claim for a place few outside China have heard of and equally few could pronounce (roughly, chee-chee-har).
Science / Technology
Did AI Find Murakami’s Voice? Student’s $2 Experiment Divides China’s Literati (September 7, 2026, Sixth Tone)
Chinese readers of Haruki Murakami used to wait over a year for a faithful Mandarin translation of his latest book after its official release in Japanese. Not this time. An unlicensed, high-fidelity digital version of the author’s new novel, “The Tale of KAHO,” was available to download in Chinese just hours after it went on sale in Tokyo on July 3. There were no lengthy negotiations over rights, no translators straining to make a deadline, no pondering on how to capture Murakami’s distinct voice. Instead, it was accomplished in a relative flash for less than $2 using an AI-based tool developed by a 21-year-old university student.
Education
Should Chinese Schools Demote English as a Core Subject (September 7, 2026, South China Morning Post)
Calls to reduce English’s status as a core subject in China’s education system have resurfaced after an internet-famous maths teacher urged the country to end “worshipping foreign things”. The controversy has revived a long-running debate over the role of English in Chinese schools.
Books
Reading My Own Life (September 3, 2026, ChinaFile)
A few months ago, a book with a slightly torn ticket on its lilac cover began emerging on my Instagram feed. A small, faint Chinese translation of the title and the author’s last name, Lin, hinted it had something to do with China. I was intrigued because the cover had no trace of red, no stars or dragons, cranes or bamboo that scream CHINA!
Pray for China
September 16 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On September 16, 1965, Christian writer Kang Hong (康洪) was born in Fujian. Known by the pen name Bei Cun (北村弟兄), he became famous as an avant-garde writer before coming to faith in Christ on March 10, 1992. Since becoming a Christian, Bei Cun helped found the Fangzhou Church (方舟教会-Ark Church) in Beijing and has written several Christian novels, including The Marriage of Zhang Sheng, Fury, and Glass. Pray for Christian writers in Fujian and Beijing to proclaim the Lord’s salvation and to declare his glory to all peoples. Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16:23-24
From Deep Thinking to Deep Prayer (July 21, 2026, ChinaSource)
Prayer 2026: Off the Beaten Path (January 1, 2026, China Partnership)
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Prayer Walking as a Rhythm of Life (May 30, 2025, ChinaSource)