"Tech Titans of China" (Rebecca A. Fannin)

TITLE: Tech Titans of China: How China's Tech Sector is challenging the world by innovating faster, working harder, and going global
AUTHOR: Rebecca A. Fannin
PUBLISHER: Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2019, (256 pages).

Those of us who live in the West would be familiar with the Tech Titans of America, in particular, the Silicon Valley of California. At the end of the Millenium, there were the AOLs, Blackberrys, IBMs, the HPs, the Ciscos, the Dells, Yahoo, and so on. Today, these companies have been eclipsed by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, and so on. Like the common saying that the big will eat up the small, the new threat to these Western Tech Titans are coming from East Asia, namely, China. Calling them the BATs of China, these rising tech titans of China (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) are challenging the FANGS (Facebook, Amazon/Apple, Netflix, Google) in the search, e-commerce, social networking, and many other technology domains. WeChat's userbase has surpassed WhatsApp. China's Silicon Dragon is China's emerging equivalent of Silicon Valley. In fact, China has grown from copying to innovating. If imitation is the biggest form of flattery, the successes of many Chinese tech firms have been validated with Western firms doing the copying instead. Facebook imitates WeChat's messaging features. Amazon has to play catchup in some areas too. Even the giant Apple are copying some of Xiaomi's business model. It is not just the speed of innovation that is catching up, it is also about the super-quick time that these Chinese corporations need to overtake their Western counterparts. Like the words of Gary Rieschel, "China is going to eat Silicon Valley's lunch." While it is true that some areas of advancement are due to government protectionist measures, a sizable chunk of innovation is due to the relentless entrepreneurial spirit and hardworking culture so synonymous with the Chinese. Not only that, the work rate of the Chinese is unmatched. Working over 12 hours per day, six days a week, and having meetings on weekends. Many of these are all-nighters that reflect a workaholic culture not often seen in America. With an enormous domestic market, a relentless entrepreneurial spirit, a workaholic culture, and a protectionist government, all signs point to inevitable domination within China first, and the world next. 

"An Asian Harvest" (Paul Hattaway)

TITLE: An Asian Harvest: An Autobiography
AUTHOR: Paul Hattaway
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Monarch Books, 2017, (320 pages).

Many of us have heard about the sensational book, the Heavenly Man. It powerfully describes the amazing miracles and testimonies of Brother Yun, a Chinese believer who suffered much persecution and hardship, and was able to testify God's work in his life. In spite of the horrific opposition to his preaching of the gospel, he persevered. The world have come to know his story, but the truth is, there are many other stories remain hidden, untold, and forgotten. We need more brave souls to uncover these stories to show the world that many believers have been unjustly and mercilessly persecuted by the local powers of the land. We need people to uncover these testimonies. One such person is Paul Hattaway, a native New Zealander who helped carry Bibles into restricted countries in the past and is now leading Asia Harvest, an outreach ministry to Asia. After telling the stories of Brother Yun (Heavenly Man) and experiencing the powerful testimonies of faith as he ventured into various countries, it is time to tell his own story as well. This book is an his autobiography.

"China's Reforming Churches" (Bruce P. Baugus)

TITLE: China's Reforming Churches
AUTHOR: Bruce P. Baugus
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014, (320 pages).

China is a rising world power. For some, it is already one poised to overtake the United States in the near future on many fronts. One such front is the growth of Christianity. Like many movements throughout history, it is one thing to form a network of churches. It is yet another to keep them refreshed, relevant, and reformed. As far as the author of this book is concerned, evangelization is just the beginning. Keeping them constantly reformed is the next and the next, and the next big thing. Writing from a Presbyterian angle, the author argues that the time for "presbyterianism" is now, and the way forward is the call for presbyterian practices to help reform the many churches in need of reforming. While other denominations have their merits. Baugus is convinced that Presbyterianism has rich resources and experiences to offer.

With a population of 1.35 billion people, China is currently the most populous nation. Even a small percentage who become believers in China can number in the millions. That is why some had even said: "More people go to church on Sunday in China than in the whole of Europe." With rapid growth comes dire needs for leaders and church governance, training, ordinations, and structural needs. This book contains essays by eleven contributors. All of them are either leaders of the Presbyterian Church in North America and Asia, or advocates of Presbyterianism, believing that that is what the growing churches in China need. The book gives the reasons why.