ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, November 21 Issue
The two big stories that came out of China this week were China's announced "adjustments" to its infamous one-child policy and the upcoming departure of US Ambassador Gary Locke.
Resources
Curated briefings, guides, reviews, and tools for learning, ministry, and prayer.
Latest
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, November 14 Issue
Most of the news out of China this week was political, as the Third Plenum wrapped up their meeting in Beijing and issued their long-awaited communiqu. Details are still emerging and analysts are still trying to figure it all out. In this week's ZGBriefs, we included a special section with links to nine different articles. They are all helpful preliminary takes on the meeting.
Chinese Church Voices – Hearing What Chinese Believers Say About the Church in China
A remarkable article appeared in the Global Times (the English-language mouthpiece of the authoritative People's Daily) on October 10 that openly acknowledged the division between China's official Three Self Church and the unofficial church and suggested that the authorities are trying to bridge the gap between official and underground believers that has seemed irreconcilable for a generation.
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, November 7 Issue
My top picks for this week fall into two broad categories: English teaching and violence. The articles about English teaching were of interest to me because once upon a time I was an English teacher in China. The articles on violence are interesting and sober reads and help us understand that underneath the veneer of stability, there are some serious social tensions.
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, October 31 Issue
My top picks from this week's ZG Briefs .
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, October 24 Issue
Four of my top picks this week have to do with the Chinese language and language learning.
A New Tool – The District Survey
With over 800 million Han Chinese in China (and over 1.2 billion in China as a whole, including minorities), it's one thing for a church or mission group to "adopt" or "engage" the Han - and another to figure out what that means. This is the situation of many groups in the world that are huge in size. "Who to adopt" can be addressed by websites like the Joshua Project. But "where to go" requires a different approach.
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, October 11 Issue
Today we are starting a new feature, linking this blog with another of our publications, the ZGBriefs Newsletter. Every Friday, we will highlight articles from the ZGBriefs newsletter that we consider the "must read" articles of the week.
Visa, Visa, Whos Got the Visa?
After a summer of confusion, China's new visa regulations went into effect on September 1st. New visa categories have been added and requirements for some existing categories have been changed.
A Novel Approach to Chinese History
If you're interested in China (or any place), I think we're in agreement as to the importance of understanding the historical context. The more you know what has happened, the more you understand what is happening today. Yet at times, the thought of reading history results in a gag reflux, I get it. I really do, some historians are terrible writers. And for those of you who roll your eyes at the mere mention of historical fiction, I'm with you.
Socially Speaking
On June 4, ChinaSource conducted an online webinar entitled "Socially Speaking," in which we gave participants a behind the scenes look at how ChinaSource is utilizing the internet and social media to engage the Christian community around critical issues facing China. In this edition of the Lantern, we would like to share some of that content with you.
Things Every Expat in China Ministry Needs to Know . . .
For those who are beginning or have just begun a life of service in China, the list of skills to master and concepts to grasp can seem daunting. The summer 2013 edition of Chinasource Quarterly (due out this week) is designed to provide a roadmap for the process of entering into the Chinese ministry context.