A Chinese Christian debunks the official propaganda: there is no religious liberty under the Communist Party rule. The post The Dual Face of “Freedom of Belief” in China: Constitutional Promises and Real-World Persecution first appeared on Bitter Winter.

The press, movies, and TV dramas can be strong allies of truth. They can also turn away from it, distracting the public through spectacle and display. The post When the Media and the Entertainment Industry Slander Religion first appeared...

The new regulations institutionalize a system known for its abuses and often used against religious dissidents. The post China’s New Residential Surveillance Rules: Reform or Consolidation of an Abusive System? first appeared on Bitter Winter.

A study by Li Hou-chen in “Lingua Sinica” examines how China’s VIP guests are outmaneuvered and manipulated to further CCP propaganda. The post Holger Chen’s Shanghai Sojourn: A Taiwanese Influencer Under Influence first appeared on Bitter Winter.

La repressione tecnologica avanza. Ma avanzano anche i mezzi per eluderla. The post Tecnologie biometriche e vie di fuga: perché il riconoscimento facciale non rende “obsoleti” i racconti dei rifugiati cinesi first appeared on Bitter Winter.

The Three-Self Church is not a real church but a political propaganda agency. Leaving it, however, exposes one to the risk of being arrested. The post The Weeping Believer: A Report from a Chinese Christian first appeared on Bitter...

The Chinese Communist regime’s efforts to undermine liberties far beyond its own borders know no rest—the paradigmatic case of 22-year-old Zhang Yadi. The post Silencing Pro-Tibet Activists Abroad: China’s Transnational Repression first appeared on Bitter Winter.

A testimony by Amsterdam’s “lonely Uyghur” protester about the relevance and beauty of November 16. The post Why Uyghurs Commemorated the East Turkestan Republic Day first appeared on Bitter Winter.

The goddes Mazu, the divinized general Guan Yu, and other deities are mobilized by CCP propaganda to promote the reunification narrative.

“The Mother of All Religions,” a tour de force on the sources of Theosophy’s foundational texts, is both impressive and irritating. The post Theosophy’s Literary Skeletons: Urs App and Madame Blavatsky’s “Mental Furniture” first appeared on Bitter Winter.

China is committing genocide against the Uyghurs precisely to secure permanent control over strategic resources such as rare earths. A Uyghur journalist’s appeal to the U.S. The post Opinion: Stop Dealing with Thieves. America Must Recognize the Uyghurs’ Stake...

Aware of the Chinese threat, the new Japanese government may revamp an old history of friendship with the Uyghurs. The post Prime Minister Takaichi and the Fight Against the East Turkestan Genocide: A Uyghur View first appeared on Bitter...

A new photo opportunity with the CCP for the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who failed to confront the regime on the Uyghurs’ cultural genocide. The post Michelle Bachelet at the Court of Communist China first appeared...

Few Tibetans believe the respected abbott died “of natural causes.” The United Nations does not believe it either. The post Humkar Dorje Rinpoche: UN Demands Truth Behind Suspicious Death of Tibetan Lama in Vietnam first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Zega Gyatso was arrested while seeking medical treatment. Geshe Shersang Gyatso, the monastery’s managing director, took his life after heavy police interrogation. The post Tsang Monastery: One Tibetan Monk Arrested, A Leader Commits Suicide first appeared on Bitter Winter.

China’s Brahmaputra mega-dam endangers India’s water security, ecology, and strategic stability, extending aggression from borders to rivers. The post From Galwan to the Brahmaputra: China’s Expanding Strategy of Coercion first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Beijing’s efforts to infiltrate Taoism in Taiwan continue. However, Taiwanese see China and the CCP with growing mistrust. The post Quanzhen: How China Weaponizes Taoism for Global Propaganda. 4. Shifting Sands first appeared on Bitter Winter.

The CCP would like to use Taiwanese Quanzhen Taoists for its purposes. However, it encounters an obstacle in the very structure of Taiwan’s Taoism. The post Quanzhen: How China Weaponizes Taoism for Global Propaganda. 3. Ready to Mobilize? first...

The global expansion of the Quanzhen sect of Taoism and how the CCP has used it as a tool of influence through the United Front Work Department. The post Quanzhen: How China Weaponizes Taoism for Global Propaganda. 1. International...

It is not the first time the CCP has destroyed religious symbols in Sichuan’s Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture—but this incident is the worst ever. The post Over 300 Tibetan Stupas and Religious Statues Demolished by the Chinese first appeared...

Inaugurated on July 19, the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River will have a devastating ecological impact on Tibet and allow China to manipulate water flows against India. The post Weaponizing Water: Why the New World’s Largest Dam in...

The vote made history, although the Mayor vetoed the decision. A comment by the “Amsterdam’s Lonely Uyghur.” The post Amsterdam City Parliament Votes to Use “East Turkestan” Instead of “Xinjiang” first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Two different spiritual leaders share a passion for freedom of religion or belief and a common problem: the Chinese persecution of believers. The post The Two Holinesses: The Dalai Lama, Pope Leo, and China first appeared on Bitter Winter.

United Front chief Li Ganjie has indicated the doctrine announced in April by top CCP ideologist Wang Huning as mandatory. The post “Rule of Law on Religious Work” Now Imposed on All Religions first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Theological criticism surrounds the Taiwanese movement, known internationally as the Buddhist True Enlightenment Practitioners Association. Banning it in China is an entirely different issue. The post China Buddhist Association Asks the Government to Crack Down on the Zhengjue Fellowship...

The impostor traveled to Tibet in an attempt to divert attention from His Holiness’ 90th birthday in Dharamsala. He failed. The post Against the Dalai Lama, the CCP Deploys the False Panchen Lama first appeared on Bitter Winter.

A conference in Beijing insisted that the regulations that came into force on May 1 should be strictly adhered to. The post China, Religions Told to Strictly Enforce New Rules on Dealing with Foreigners first appeared on Bitter Winter.

Approval by the Chinese government was never the “most central step.” The “Golden Urn” Beijing mentions was used in a minority of cases and never replaced the traditional methods. The post Dalai Lama’s Succession: Unmasking the Chinese Communist Party’s...

By 2030, Xinjiang will build six more specialized hospitals. Why, given that the region has a very low organ donation rate? The post Transplant Facilities Greatly Expanded in Xinjiang—For More Organ Harvesting? first appeared on Bitter Winter.

His Holiness is aging, but his birthday is a day of joy and hope, not despair. The post The Dalai Lama Turns 90: A Look at Tibet’s Future first appeared on Bitter Winter.