Prefab paradise? How China-made homes could solve Australia’s housing crisis (July 21, 2024, South China Morning Post)
While tourism, resources and education usually dominate trade between Asia and Australia, a surprising new trade has been flourishing under the radar in recent years – the booming business of prefabricated “prefab” housing and building materials.
We must not mistake China’s success on green energy for a global one (July 21, 2024, Financial Times)
Looking at global renewables growth rates is hugely misleading. There is not one single energy transition but a series of regional transitions of widely varying form, pace and scope. The outsized materiality of one — China’s — means global figures veil more than they reveal. They currently look impressive because, and only because, China’s do.
How China swerved worst of global tech meltdown (July 21, 2024, BBC)
Over recent years, government organisations, businesses and infrastructure operators have increasingly been replacing foreign IT systems with domestic ones. Some analysts like to call this parallel network the "splinternet".
They used to work for China’s biggest companies. Now they’re doing manual labor (July 20, 2024, CNN)
China’s notorious “996” work culture – the practice of working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week that is common among the country’s tech companies, startups and other private businesses – has been a push factor for many employees who call it quits.
China Good Samaritans – landslip hero, delivery mercy man, long-distance rubbish mission (July 21, 2024, South China Morning Post)
We all need a helping hand in life, and when it comes, it feels all the more welcome when the act of generosity is from a stranger. Here, the Post rounds up the best Good Samaritan stories to come out of China recently.
China–US research collaborations are in decline — this is bad news for everyone (July 19, 2024, Springer Nature)
China’s scientific collaboration with other countries has declined since the pandemic, driven by falling partnerships with the United States, an analysis shows. Scientists have been warning that political tensions between China and the United States, combined with the pandemic, have affected research collaborations between the two countries. But it takes time for evidence of this sort of decline to accumulate in research databases.
China braces for twin tropical cyclones after deadly flash floods (July 21, 2024, Channel News Asia)
Two tropical cyclones will bring gales and heavy rain to China's eastern seaboard this week, with the first expected to make landfall on Sunday (Jul 21), after deadly flash floods struck the country's interior over the weekend.
How Hong Kong Immigrants and UK Churches Are Working Together (July 16, ChinaSource)
In 2021, the UK government offered a new visa for British Nationals (Overseas) residing in the former colony of Hong Kong. This, along with an ever-tightening political environment in Hong Kong, opened the door to an influx of people from the territory moving to Great Britain. The arrival of so many new immigrants in a short period of time has presented both local and Chinese churches in the UK with some unique opportunities and challenges. Zipporah, a student at Singapore Bible College, conducted research into this situation for a class on mission research.
Chengdu: Opportunities and Challenges (July 15, 2024, China Partnership)
In this second portion of this series, several Chengdu house church pastors talked about how their city and their churches have changed in the past five years. While this period has been challenging, these pastors still see God at work in their communities. Most said the city and their churches were rocked by the Covid era, but that Chengdu is still a spiritually hungry place. Many pastors said they continue to experience growth and are seeing many unbelievers seek out their churches.
Moses in the Wilderness: On the Run (July 11, 2024, China Partnership)
In the post-pandemic era, sometimes it seems all of China is on the run. Modern Chinese have a lot in common with biblical Moses, who also lived a life on the run. God’s people may sometimes worry that God has forgotten them, but Moses’s story shows that God often uses wilderness seasons and a life on the run.
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Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
Blessing Asia
In October-2022 more than 500 Christian leaders from across Asia gathered in Thailand for the Asia 2022 Congress, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement and various partnering organizations. I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress virtually and was mightily blessed. From Bible exposition to K-pop worship, and through seminars and workshops, the participants were encouraged by the stories of what God is doing in countries all over Asia. Clearly, God is on the move.
A beautiful vision was portrayed in a video of the popular worship song The Blessing, featuring singers from all over Asia. Here it is:
Many of the sessions have already been posted on their website and to their YouTube channel.
One that I found particularly helpful considering all that is going on in China was a presentation titled Church and State Relationship in Asia Today. You can see the video here.
I encourage you to spend some time on their website; there are fantastic resources for understanding God’s work in Asia today.
Original link: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/blessing-asia/
Image credit: Andrea Brucker, via Unsplash
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