THE CHINESE NETWORK BLOG
Ministry tips, cultural musings, and miscellaneous aids for ministering to Chinese international students
Beyond the Grave – Reflections on Tomb Sweeping Day
"It's often taboo to talk about death with a Chinese person. We usually will avoid the conversation." shared Yiwei to her American friend. Yet, once each year in China there is a special day to remember, and even worship, the dead. The Qingming Festival, or Tomb...
Sharing the Meaning of Easter
In Chinese the term Easter literally translates as "Risen Day" or "Resurrection Day". Yet most students from China have never celebrated this religious holiday. Most don't understand the significant meaning of Easter. Explaining Easter to your Chinese friend can be...
Celebrating Easter with Chinese Students
“When I lived in China I never celebrated the Easter holiday. Like most Chinese students, I did not know the true meaning of Easter. I think it was just a Western festival,” shared Wang. Since there are signs and symbols of Easter in American culture, Chinese students...
Chinese Pragmatism: What Difference Does It Make?
In the last post, I discussed Chinese pragmatism, and how that affects the way that Chinese students approach religion. In short, it seems that, as a general trend, Chinese students seem rather less concerned about whether Christianity is true, and rather more...
Chinese Pragmatism: 10% Belief and 90% Choice?
Foreign Policy has a fascinating article on why many Chinese students who come to America to study become Christians. It weaves together several interesting anecdotes with an analysis of some of the factors that contribute to the phenomenon. The whole thing is...
My Chinese Culture Aha Moment: “You Don’t Know Us Very Well”
The Moment “You don’t know us very well.” The “us” to whom my Chinese friend was referring was a core group of Christian leaders with whom I’d been working. It probably was equally referring to Chinese in general though. My friend was being brutally honest, and it...
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