Religious persecution in China is high on the political agenda, but most people do not see how the country’s religious revival is going to change our relations in the long run, argues journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.Read More →
China started – after initial suppression – to tolerate religion under Deng Xiaoping, as the communist rulers of the country expected religion was something for the older generation and would die out. Journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao explains in a Q&A to JWT Intelligence why they were wrong. And the implications for business.Read More →
While most of the media stress government control on journalists and authors, Zhang Lijia, author of Lotus: A Novel on prostitution in China, sees huge advantages too, she tells the blog Women and Gender in China (WAGIC). “Internationally Chinese women writers are almost invisible. This is another reason that I want to keep writing.”Read More →
Huge usage of mobile phones, popular internet payment systems and 1.4 billion users are some of the elements that explain why the sharing economy in China is doing so well, says Jeffrey Towson, investment professor at the Peking University at the TV program China Matters.Read More →
Most reviewers of Ian Johnson’s latest book The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao focus on religion, while his book also has a profound political dimension. “Interesting that only a religious journal gets the deeper meaning of my book–not only as a challenge to religion and values, but also to China’s political order,” writes Johnson on Facebook.about the review in Voegelinview.Read More →
The Hong Kong IPO by Tencent’s China Literature, driving on a Chinese e-reader, was a big hit, while e-readers like Amazon Kindle are clearly over their highpoint. Business analyst Shaun Rein explains in CNNMoney why e-readers go like crazy in China.Read More →
An upsurge in folk religions, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and other forms of spirituality is caused by China’s development into an industrial superpower, argued journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao earlier this week at a speech at , according to the Yale Daily.Read More →
Mao Zedong and his followers have tried to eradicate cultural icon Confucius, from China’s history. But with some help from current president Xi Jinping, Confucius is making a comeback, reports journalist Ian Johnson, author or The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao for the New York Times.Read More →
China’s shift from a planned to a market has lifted millions out of poverty, but for many women the deal has been a bad one, says Beijing-based journalist Zhang Lijia, author of Lotus: A Novel on prostitution in China at Sea Globe.Read More →
China gains economic and financial power, but is still struggling to find its place in the world, writes China veteran Tom Doctoroff in the Huffington Post.”So China’s road to becoming a “soft” superpower will be long and rocky indeed,” he says.Read More →
Protestantism, Buddhism and Taoism grow fast in China, but followers of the Catholic faith are dwindling. Author Ian Johnson of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao reports from the countryside on why Catholicism finds it harder to find a solid footprint among Chinese looking for moral values, for the America Magazine.Read More →
The world looked with awe when Alibaba’s chairman Jack Ma performed as Michael Jackson during a massive show for employees and customers last week. But Chinese tycoons like to put up a show, says Beida business professor Jeffrey Towson to CNN. Western CEO’s seldom let themselves go (perhaps with the exception of former ABN Amro CEO Gerrit Zalm).Read More →