Photo of the Day: Behind Qianmen at Dawn by Jens Schott Knudsen (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Phrase of the Week: Hard Times Subdue the Party
The Word of the Week comes from the Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon, a glossary of terms created by Chinese netizens and encountered in online political discussions. These are the words of China’s online “resistance discourse,” used to mock and subvert the official language around censorship and political correctness.
jiān shí kè gòng 艰时克共
Reverse reading of a phrase regularly used by state media since 2008. In 2018, netizens discovered
Online Reactions to Cuba’s Constitutional Reforms
On July 15, socialist country Cuba announced revisions to its Soviet-era constitution. Its chief reforms include officially recognizing private property and creating a prime...
Amid Economic Uncertainty, Beijing Silences Critics...
Under President Xi, censorship has expanded in scope and is increasingly impacting areas such as academia and topics such as economics. This month, a British academic from the...
Xinjiang Surveillance Expands to Non-Uyghur Muslims...
Over the last year, there have been an increasing number of reports detailing the proliferation of re-education camps and the rise of a totalitarian police state in the Xinjiang region....
Chinese Pressure On Liu Xiaobo Death Anniversary
This week brought both the first anniversary of the death of Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, and the sudden release from house arrest of his widow, Liu Xia. If the latter was in part...
Human Rights, Political Control Hit PRC Soft Power
According to a yearly survey published by the consultancy Portland and the University of Southern California, China now ranks 27th in the world for soft power, falling two places...
Liberal Think-tank Unirule Evicted From Beijing Offices...
On Tuesday, one of China’s last remaining liberal think-tanks, Unirule, was evicted from its Beijing offices. The leasing company even went as far as to weld the office doors...
Politics
Convenience vs Privacy: China’s BAT Dilemma
Although its internet penetration rate is just 55%, China has three times as
Economy
Minitrue: On U.S.-China Trade Tensions
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities,
Culture & the Arts
Details Emerge About Xinjiang Reeducation Camp System
New reports, based on interviews with former detainees and data collected from
Sci-Tech
Facebook Under Fire for Data-sharing Agreements
With the Cambridge Analytica scandal still fresh in the public consciousness,
Environment
Government Provides Outline of Major Restructuring Plan
A new proposal put before the National People’s Congress realigns the
Human Rights
Police Break Up Veterans’ Protest for Welfare Rights
PLA veterans have staged demonstrations against paltry pensions and inadequate
Information Revolution
Minitrue: Do Not Report on PKU Open Letter
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities,
The Great Divide
A Decade Later, Wenchuan Parents Still Seek Answers
On May 12, 2008, a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Wenchuan, Sichuan
Hong Kong
Minitrue: July 1 Anniversaries, Shanghai School Attack
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities,
Taiwan
U.S. Unveils New “De Facto Embassy” in Taiwan
With the world’s eyes focused on Singapore—where U.S. President Donald
Translation
Translation: Propaganda in Urumqi Amid Crackdown
An ongoing terror crackdown in Xinjiang, launched in May 2014 in response
China & the World
Sinopsis & Jichang Lulu: UN with Chinese Characteristics
“The CCP has made it a major goal of its UN work to maximise its ‘discursive
