Between 1919 and 1949, posters were the most common Christian visual imagery in China. They were printed by the millions and hung in tea rooms, on city walls, and on temple gates. Posters were put up in houses and churches; they were unfolded for street evangelism. They were extremely popular because they were aesthetically pleasing…
Chinese History
Two Birthdays, 8 Years Apart
April 22 marks two important birthdays. The first is the 100th anniversary of the the Chinese Bible. On this day in 1919, the first edition of what has come to known as the Chinese Union Version (CUV) was received from the printer. In September of last year, I had the opportunity to edit an issue…
The Year of Living Sensitively
Today marks the anniversary of the death of former Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang in 1989, the first in a chain of events (death, mourning, protest, crackdown) that would culminate in the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square on June 4. Today’s anniversary, while obviously not commemorated in China, is an important reminder of the…
The Great Wall by Drone
When I lived in Beijing, one of my favorite things to do was go to take visitors to the Great Wall in the mountains outside of the city. There are a few designated Great Wall tourist sites, but I also enjoyed exploring some of the unrestored and undeveloped sites as well. But I never did…
Slogans that Changed China
Slogans are an integral part of political life in China, with the Communist Party using them to impart to the masses their latest thinking (hence the ‘correct’ thinking’ on a wide variety of issues. Each new political campaign or government initiative requires it’s own slogan. The BBC recently published a list of 11 slogans that…
China in the 1940’s
After yesterday’s post about the China History Podcast, I decided to do some more posts about Chinese history this week. Unless you’re a Chinese or World War II history buff, you may not know that the US military had a fairly robust presence in China during the War. The famous “Flying Tigers” had bases and personnel…