Understanding China and the World Through the Lens of Self as Method

<p>Xiang Biao's*1 Self as Method is an unusual book. It was published in</p><p>China in 2020 by Dandu a newish publishing house that promises to</p><p>unite a new generation of authors and readers through text audio</p><p>video and multimedia platforms.2 The project originated with Dandu</p><p>editor Luo Danni* based on her observation that many Chinese people</p><p>appear not to be very happy as China's century dawns. At first glance</p><p>this may seem strange because after a century and a half of humiliation</p><p>crisis and struggle China in the early twenty-first century seems poised</p><p>to reestablish its historical position as a (if not the) center of the world.</p><p>Reform and opening have succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of those</p><p>who initially conceived the policies and China in 2020 is vastly richer and</p><p>more powerful than China in 1980.</p><p>Yet despite China's rise many Chinese people and particularly Chinese</p><p>young people-while patriotic and proud of China's rise-are anxious</p><p>and dissatisfied at least with their individual lives and life chances. If the</p><p>policy of reform and opening has transformed the Chinese economy it</p><p>has also brought intense competitiveness sky-rocketing real estate prices China's mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai young people often feel</p><p>like they are running in place-and running hard-as China's period of</p><p>high-speed growth threatens to sputter out.</p><p>Luo Danni recruited Dandu journalist Wu Qi* to work on the project</p><p>and decided to address this issue in a volume that targets younger readers</p><p>which surely made good sense. In addition to their economic anxieties</p><p>young people in China might be forgiven for feeling somewhat lost in</p><p>general. Change in China has been blindingly rapid over the past few</p><p>decades to the point that Chinese authors often speak of generational</p><p>groups of as few as five years (i.e. the 1995-2000 generation). This</p><p>might be an exaggeration but it is nonetheless true that while in 1980</p><p>there were almost no private phones in China today everyone lives on</p><p>their smart phone; while in 1980 everyone rode their identical Flying</p><p>Pigeon bicycle (if they could get one) to and from work or school now</p><p>they take a Didi* (China's Uber) to...the airport and hence the world (at</p><p>least in pre-pandemic times)</p>