Over the past year, Ritual Studio has had the privilege of walking alongside the ChinaSource team as they reflected on how this work is presented and carried forward. Our role has been a supporting one—listening carefully, learning the history, and helping give form to values that have long guided ChinaSource’s work.
In China, AI Is No Longer Optional for Some Kids. It’s Part of the Curriculum (January 27, 2026, NPR News) Starting in the fall, every student in elementary and middle school in Beijing, and several other districts, began learning about AI.
Who Are the Churches That China Is Persecuting? (January 19, 2026, Domino Theory) On the night of December 14, over 1,000 police officers surrounded Yayang Church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. At 3 a.m. they burst into the church “with extreme violence.”
Podcast - China’s Church Divided (January 8, 2026, Pekingology) Paul unpacks the Communist Party's views on religion, how the Catholic Church navigated the turbulent politics of 1980s China, and why the Vatican has renewed a controversial deal with Beijing.
From Icy to an Ice Icon: How Harbin Became a Winter Wonderland (January 2, 2026, The World of Chinese) When much of China retreats indoors during the winter, the northeastern city of Harbin does just the opposite.
Seeing any aspect of our faith through others’ eyes—especially in another culture, is like a set of new glasses. The questions, the doubts, the rejection, the wonder and yes, the amazement force one to look anew at what might be treasured but unchallenged.
There is no cross, no pulpit, and no choir. Three chairs surround a small tea table, a phone plays hymns, and a well-worn Bible rests nearby—the humble beginnings of a church.
What matters most is not only the dates, but the habits Christians learned for living between lines.
It is hard to imagine that this pastor—now fluent in Scripture and prayer—had once devoted years to Daoist medicine and Buddhist practice, even preparing to become a monk
No culture or political ideology can be equated with Christian truth. Jesus’s words—“My kingdom is not of this world”—remain a vital reminder for the church today.
Find out what resonated with our ChinaSource readers in 2025 by exploring the top 10 links clicked from ZGBriefs.
Keeping a record is not about accumulating more, but about digesting and sorting through. Only when we attempt to rearticulate the insights of others do they truly become nourishment for our own thinking.
As 2025 comes to a close and we anticipate with excitement the arrival of 2026, let’s take time to reflect on some highlights from the last 12 months.
Two tracks took root: social modernizers built schools and bridges; evangelists planted chapels and courage. China’s church still needs the gifts of both.
As the experience of China’s church demonstrates, the gifts of Advent seem to come strangely wrapped. The gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love are received through suffering and sacrifice.
I just want to fall where I grew up—but will I ever be allowed to go home?
