Contemporary China

China’s Struggles to Reconcile Church and State are Rooted in History

China’s Struggles to Reconcile Church and State are Rooted in History

It’s not an easy time to be Christian, Muslim, or Jewish in China. Universalist religions are under attack in the PRC.

Xi’s Gotta Have It: Rewriting the History of the Reform and Opening Era at the National Museum

Xi’s Gotta Have It: Rewriting the History of the Reform and Opening Era at the National Museum

Feckless sycophants at the National Museum have taken the Reform and Opening period, one of the most significant moments in Modern Chinese history, and turned it into the equivalent of a Xi Jinping dick pic.

Pence Peeves Peking, MoFA Mocks Mike

Pence Peeves Peking, MoFA Mocks Mike

A speech by US Vice President Mike Pence earlier this month seemed to signal a tougher line against China. The two countries have a long complicated relationship but is Beijing correct when it accuses Pence of distorting history?

The Party Goes Retro for National Day

The Party Goes Retro for National Day

It’s the National Day Golden Week holiday in China, and Jeremiah muses on competing retro trends with the Party reaching back to the 1980s and reviving “Anti-Bourgeois Liberalization.” Were they inspired by the needless decision to remake Magnum, PI?

We’re a Long Way from 2008: A ChinaFile Conversation

We’re a Long Way from 2008: A ChinaFile Conversation

On August 8, 2008, China’s then Chairman Hu Jintao told a group of world leaders visiting Beijing to attend the Olympics that “the historic moment we have long awaited is arriving.” 10 years later, how do we evaluate China’s Olympic performance and legacy? 

The Politics of Protection: Beijing Makes UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Bids

The Politics of Protection: Beijing Makes UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Bids

Beijing authorities have made a bid for 15 landmarks in the Chinese capital to join the list of World Cultural Heritage sites by 2035, a move that’s not without controversy.

The National Fetish

The National Fetish

Amid nationalist celebrations sparked by July 4th and the World Cup, Jeremiah Jenne reflects that it’s no bad thing to honor a country but that it’s also worth rebalancing our patriotism with our responsibilities to the world.

My Beijing Insecurity (on National Security Education Day)

My Beijing Insecurity (on National Security Education Day)

April 15th, National Security Education and Awareness Day in China, has become an annual day of whimsy for those of us living in Beijing.

Going to a Funeral in China? Try to Keep Your Clothes On, Says Ministry of Culture

Going to a Funeral in China? Try to Keep Your Clothes On, Says Ministry of Culture

The Ministry of Culture last month announced a crackdown on “obscene, pornographic and vulgar performances” at funerals and weddings after stories of wild send-offs involving naked women groping mourners and pole dancing at rural gatherings made headlines.

The Party Struggles to Keep Control of its Own History

The Party Struggles to Keep Control of its Own History

A series of controversial social media posts claim the Party is censoring the past to preserve its legitimacy in the present. Why is the Cultural Revolution such a sensitive topic these days?

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in 2018: Evan Osnos, American Decline, and the Country of Cats

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in 2018: Evan Osnos, American Decline, and the Country of Cats

China advances, America retreats. What's really happening in the dance between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump?