The China Project Sources: Directory of China websites

SEE THE UPDATED LIST: The China Project Sources 2017.

The China Project pick

Each time we update this list, we’ll choose one source that is not a large news organization and that we believe is especially worth your time.

For November 2016, our pick is Chublic Opinion, which describes itself as writing about “public opinion with Chinese characteristics, a weekly digest of events that are shaping public opinion in China.” It is written by Ma Tianjie, a Chinese blogger and (disclosure) an occasional guest on our Sinica Podcast.

China-focused websites

To get firsthand and specialist perspectives on China written by journalists, subject experts, academics and in-country observers, here are some essential sources:

• Caixin – The English channel of a respected Chinese economics and finance magazine.
• The China Africa Project – A hub for China-Africa issues.
• China Dialogue – Bilingual essays on how China is handling environmental issues at home and around the world.
• ChinaFile – Articles, multimedia and “Conversation” Q&As with China watchers; produced by the Asia Society.
• China Film Insider – Film industry news.
• China Labour Bulletin – Labor issues and the plight of migrant workers in China, based in Hong Kong.
• China Law Translate – A community-contributed reference for understanding China’s laws.
• China Media Project – News and analysis on Chinese media.
• China Policy Institute: Analysis – Chinese politics, economics and international relations.
• Chinese Politics From the Provinces – “Views and analysis of Chinese politics and policy from inside China, outside the Beijing and Shanghai beltways.”
• The Diplomat – The Japan-based magazine publishes regular op-eds on East Asia, and its daily “China Power” blog provides analysis on Chinese politics and international relations.
• Jing Daily – Luxury brands and their Chinese customers.
• NPC Observer – A blog covering developments from the powerful National People’s Congress (NPC) and the NPC Standing Committee.
• Tea Leaf Nation – Foreign Policy’s China blog with good original articles on Chinese society.
• Tech in Asia – A blog covering daily news in the Chinese tech sector.
• What’s on Weibo – Roundups of social media reaction to current events and controversies.
• The World of Chinese – A website and magazine providing insight into Chinese language and culture for students of the country.

China-focused Twitter feeds

Some of the best places to get up-to-the-minute China news are the Twitter feeds of reporters and China hands. Here are a selection of our favorites:

Essential feeds for daily commentary on general China news:

• Bill Bishop – Authoritative China watcher. See also his Twitter list of China journalists and his occasional email newsletter.
• Chris Buckley – New York Times reporter based in Beijing.
• Josh Chin – Wall Street Journal reporter based in Beijing.
• Mike Forsythe – New York Times reporter based in Hong Kong. See also his China breaking news Twitter list.
• Jeremy Goldkorn – Co-host of The China Project’s Sinica Podcast. See also his list of women who tweet about China.
• Kaiser Kuo – Co-host of The China Project’s Sinica Podcast. See also his list of China folks.

Other notable feeds:

• Hannah Beech – East Asia bureau chief for TIME.
• Lulu Yilun Chen – Reporter on Chinese tech at Bloomberg.
• Andrew Chubb – South China Sea issues.
• Jiayang Fan – Staff writer at The New Yorker.
• M. Taylor Fravel – Foreign affairs and security policy of China.
• Christina Larson – Beijing-based features writer for Bloomberg.
• Howard French – Former New York Times senior writer in West Africa and China, author and journalism professor.
• Bonnie Glaser – South China Sea and security affairs.
• Ian Johnson – Prominent columnist and author.
• Louisa Lim – Prominent author and former NPR and BBC correspondent.
• Haidi Lun – Reporter for Bloomberg TV based in Hong Kong.
• Isolda Morillo – Associated Press reporter based in Beijing.
• Shai Oster – Hong Kong-based reporter for The Information.
• James Palmer – Asia editor based in Beijing for Foreign Policy.
• Megha Rajagopalan – Asia correspondent for BuzzFeed World.
• Emily Rauhala – Washington Post correspondent based in Beijing.
• Dexter Roberts – China bureau chief for Bloomberg Businessweek.
• Rob Schmitz – NPR reporter based in Shanghai.
• Victor Shih – Chinese politics, finance and economics.
• Jonathan Sullivan – Director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham, U.K.
• Jeff Wasserstrom – History professor at UC Irvine.
• Edward Wong – New York Times reporter.
• Gillian Wong – Greater China news director at the Associated Press.
• Eunice Yoon – Beijing bureau chief for CNBC.

Podcasts

Podcasts are an excellent way to get a more in-depth understanding of specific issues by listening to experts and other China observers with interesting insights into the country. Start with our own Sinica Podcast, and also give a listen to these other productions:

• Barbarians at the Gate – A “semi-serious look at Chinese history and culture hosted by rogue historian Jeremiah Jenne and writer James Palmer.”
• The China Africa Project – Hosted by Asia-based journalist Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden, a South Africa-based journalist and professor.
• The China History Podcast – Tales from the imperial past to the 20th century told by Laszlo Montgomery.
• China in the World – Interviews on foreign policy and international relations by Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing.
• National Committee on U.S.-China Relations – Discussions with a range of experts hosted by the NCUSCR.
• New Books in East Asian Studies – Interviews with authors by Carla Nappi.
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms – A retelling of the classic Chinese epic in colloquial English by John Zhu.

Chinese state media

Media based in China is tightly controlled by the government, and none more so than central state-owned news organizations. That does not mean they are not worth reading – the pages of these newspapers are often the first place where we see indications of new government policy:

• China Daily – The largest-circulation English-language publication based in China, established in 1981.
• Global Times – A newspaper and website under the auspices of the People’s Daily, known for attention-grabbing ultra-nationalist opinion pieces.
• People’s Daily – The official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
• Xinhua – The website of the Xinhua News Agency, which covers domestic and world news.

China sections of general news organizations

• BBC
• Bloomberg
• CNBC
• CNN
• The Economist
• Financial Times
• The Guardian
• The New York Times
• Quartz
• Reuters
• South China Morning Post
• TIME
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Washington Post