A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
Ten Years After the Charity Law: Whither Chinese NGOs? (July 21, 2026, Made in China Journal) While the Party-State’s firm grip on civil society has long rested on its formidable coercive capacities, it has increasingly sought to complement regulatory control with ideological legitimacy.
Unlike Their National Team, Chinese Fans Never Miss the World Cup (July 10, 2026, The World of Chinese)
Founder of Prominent Underground Church Released from Prison in China (July 4, 2026, The Guardian)
Can China’s Dong Minority Keep Their Unique Cultural Heritage? (June 26, 2026, The Diplomat)
News Update on Religion and Church in China, November 30, 2025 – March 20, 2026 (March 20, 2026, China Zentrum e.V.)
The Daughters Who Were Raised to Be Everything Under China’s One-Child Policy (June 6, 2026, Global Voices) When China ended the One-Child Policy in 2015, the shift was often described in demographic terms: declining birth rates, an aging population, and a policy adjustment to encourage more births.
How Emojis Have Become a Language Within a Language in China (June 9, 2026, Sixth Tone)
Secret Tunnels and Unregistered Workers: China’s Coal Mine Disaster Is a Reminder of Darker Days (May 31, 2026, BBC)
Before WeChat, There Were Qiaopi Writers (May 20, 2026, Sixth Tone) The last family letter Jiang Mingdian wrote crossed the Pacific Ocean.
How The Soviets, Japanese and Americans Together Lifted Chinese Communists Out of Obscurity — with Frank Dikötter (May 18, 2026, Peking Hotel) We trace the origin story of the Chinese Communist Party, and revisit how the CCP went from an obscure, unpopular, intellectual-led political force to take over the whole of mainland China.
Zhengzhou: Cradle of Civilization (May 7, 2026, China Partnership) House church pastors say there is a vibrant Christian heritage in Zhengzhou, but that, as people have moved to the city from the countryside, churches have struggled to disciple believers through urbanization.
Virtual Book Launch - Chinese Christian Witness: Identity, Creativity, Transmission, and Poetics (Center for Global Christianity and Mission) You are invited to join a conversation about the new book, Chinese Christian Witness, edited by Xiaoli Yang and Daryl Ireland.