When many westerners arrive in Beijing or Shanghai, their suspicion that all Chinese really are the same is quickly confirmed. The fact that 92% of China’s population identify themselves as Han, almost seems like an underestimate at first glance in the subway station as the homogeneous mass of tanned skin and black hair surge onto the train [...] Keep reading »

A few weeks ago a Chinese friend told me what worries him the most: a form of Nationalism that asserts China’s natural position is “glorious” and that the country only falls from this status when “outside forces” limit its growth. Equally concerning to him was that these ideas were predicated on a kind of racial superi [...] Keep reading »

Koonchung Chan’s The Fat Years is a chilling account of a very possible near future. It was originally published in Chinese in 2010, but is finally available in English. The book is set in 2013. China has been the world’s only super-power for two years since the US dollar dropped 30% in a single day plunging all other world economies i [...] Keep reading »

With the holidays I know that many of you have taken a break from the internet to spend time with your families, but the Chinese gov’t realizes this too, slipping 3 State subversion trials of dissidents into the final week of the year in the hopes that foreign media will miss the story (and one very mysterious broken probation). Due to the nu [...] Keep reading »

Even though Christmas has just passed, the major gift giving season approaches in China: Spring Festival (it is also a major time for illicit gifting). Giving and receiving gifts in China is something of an art, and the ritual can be as important as the gift itself. At work, my office is responsible for hosting visitors from other provinces and c [...] Keep reading »

In China, the possibility of “gray income” can be an important factor when choosing a job. “Gray income” simply refers to receiving “gifts” in exchange for improved service. It is most common when someone controls access to something like health care, education or job opportunities. The difference between thi [...] Keep reading »

Tanks didn’t roll into Wukan. Relief? Yes. Comfort? Hardly, given countless precedents that inject nothing but dread, and the fact that the government is still lying and mis-presenting nearly every aspect of the event, down to the location where the village representative and the provincial deputy party secretary met. In Haimen the latest words a [...] Keep reading »

Being thousands of miles away from home isn’t exactly how most people picture celebrating Christmas. In fact, it’s a holiday that can be pretty hard to enjoy without family. So, like many expats, I did my best to recreate the Christmas experience with my students and co-workers. For the four weeks leading up to the holiday, we spent the [...] Keep reading »

Part of a continuing series of journal article summaries. You can also read my summaries on The regulation of religion in China and Reconsidering the campaign to suppress counter-revolutionaries.   Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Maoist China                         By: Joseph Tse-Hei Lee (full text PDF) Tom’s [...] Keep reading »