Staying informed on China can seem like a full-time job. Luckily, a series of excellent newsletters are doing the hard work of China watching for us, compiling the best links and analysis on a weekly or even daily basis. Below is a selection of 10 of the best (although there are many more out there)
The Weekly China Skinny
Published every Wednesday by marketing and digital strategy firm China Skinny, The Weekly China Skinny offers in-depth insights into what Chinese consumers are doing, buying, and saying. We like the (relatively) long read format, which goes in depth on a specific topic, with plenty of links to related articles. Recent newsletter topics have included insights into changing buying habits in tier 2 and 3 cities and the rise of ‘emotional marketing’ around events like International Women’s Day.
Cost: Free
Subscribe to The Weekly China Skinny
Pekingnology
Pekingnology is the brainchild of Zichen Wang, a senior Xinhua reporter based in Beijing. His regular analysis of current affairs often features translations from Chinese state media such as People’s Daily – a useful bellwether for public opinion and policy directions.
Note: Pekingnology does not represent the views of Xinhua, the Chinese media or China.
Cost: Free
China Chit-Chat
China Chit-Chat is written by Mark Schaub, senior partner at leading Chinese law firm King & Wood Mallesons (where he was the first foreign partner). Schaub has been working on China issues since moving to Shanghai in 1993, and his weekly newsletter offers a humorous insight into life on the ground there, plus reflections on the issues facing international companies operating in China.
Cost: Free
China Luxury Briefing
China Luxury Briefing is a weekly newsletter by The Luxury Conversation, Gusto Collective’s platform to connect, share and discuss Asia’s luxury industry and its rapidly evolving affluent consumers. It includes a roundup of updates from China’s luxury market, whether that be the latest national holiday consumption figures or China’s recent ‘marathon frenzy’, as well as recent new openings and launches.
Cost: Free
Subscribe to China Luxury Briefing
The Wire China
The Wire China is a digital magazine focused on China’s economic rise and its knock-on effect to everything from financial markets to the environment. Founded by Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist David Barboza, The Wire features a diverse range of writers from around the world, many of whom will be familiar to China-watchers. The Wire’s weekly newsletter is published every Sunday and includes summaries of the latest issues. They occasionally make articles available for free, but the majority of the content is paywalled.
Cost: Subscribe to the weekly digital magazine (five or six essays and articles every week) for $19 (£15.16) per month or $199 (£158.80) per year
Sinocism
Bill Bishop’s Sinocism will not be unfamiliar to anyone who follows China. Indeed, the newsletter boasts a community of “nearly 100,000 investors, policymakers, executives, analysts, diplomats, journalists, scholars and others.” Subscribing gets you four issues a week featuring commentary, analysis and a curated selection of English and Chinese links on that day’s “essential eight” topics.
Cost: £12 per month or £135 per year
China Brief
China Brief is Foreign Policy magazine’s “weekly digest of the stories you should be following in China,” written by deputy editor James Palmer, on topics such as China’s economic policy, a 2021 doping scandal and China-Phillipines tensions.
Cost: Free
Following the Yuan
Following the Yuan offers great insights into China’s consumer market, featuring original reporting, analysis, and commentary from journalist turned consultancy founder Yaling Jiang and a selection of guest writers. It gives a lot of crucial on-the-ground “colour” – including both deep dives and shorter news round ups – beyond the earnings calls and market reports.
Cost: £6 per month or £55 per year
Subscribe to Following the Yuan
Woodburn Accountants & Advisors
Business set-up advisory firm Woodburn publishes regular advice on the latest legal, tax and trade developments in China and Hong Kong. Their weekly newsletter is a roundup of their recent publications – on topics such as China’s fapiao system, for example – as well as their ‘China Expert’ series, which features interviews with business owners on how to thrive in China.
Cost: Free
Subscribe to Woodburn’s newsletter
The CBBC Focus Newsletter
The Focus newsletter goes out every second Tuesday, bringing together our top picks of the previous fortnight’s articles published on the FOCUS Magazine website and delivered straight to your inbox.
