China Maxxing

Spring festival was interesting this year. Amid the flurry of greetings and well-wishes I received in Chinese every year, were a proportion coming from non-Chinese friends. This of course was lovely, and made me feel happy, knowing that my culture was being appreciated, and people were taking the time to access it, which is what my whole ‘thing’ is. Making Chinese culture accessible. What was slightly less comfortable to see, was the trending videos crossing my feed by Western influencers on social media talking about “going through a Chinese phase”. Combined with this are China’s Gen Z reengaging with vintage and classic culture as a form of “China-maxxing”, and those diaspora who’d previously have to be pinned down before admitting their heritage, suddenly donning qipao and, proclaiming themselves “Chinese baddies”. One might expect an author like myself who’s written about Chinese cultures for twenty years, and advocated its brilliant literature, to be overjoyed at this development. As I go about my regular work, I let it flow like water under a bridge. Mixed feelings, amusement, bitterness, mixed with a wry sense of “I told you so”.

Bitterness, because I want to shout across the ether, where were these voices of affirmation when I proposed books about China’s multifaceted contemporary society when all that the media could see was Terracotta Warriors and the Cultural Revolution? Where were you when the only outlet for my Chinese culture talks was at Japanese anime conventions, where Chinese kids told me they hated Chinese class, saw nothing cool whatsoever in China, and could only talk to me about anime? Where were you when my family’s Chinese friends, who were trying their damned hardest to be Western, looked down on kids like me who were first generation immigrants. Where were you all when my cultural posts were met with the most hideous of racist and anti-China political tirades?

Amusement, because while I’m proud of my heritage, and want more than anything to share the amazing wonders of innovations in the Chinese arts with global audiences, I’ve never been a supporter of blind nationalism or the reduction of another country to one’s pet hobby. Though I’m a huge fan of anime and manga, I have never been impressed by those around me who dive unthinkingly into the culture like it’s a cosplay, that they not only want to wear the clothes, learn the language, but even change their faces with makeup, or worse, surgery. In this way, I feel the need to hold these China-obsessed TikTokkers at arm’s length, to them this seems just another fad that will feed the algorithm, and like a fad, will eventually fade. My cultural heritage is important to me far beyond a trend.

“I told you so”, because I have never doubted that China’s arts and entertainments were worth your interest and time. I have always believed that China’s genre fiction was going to flourish, fuelled by global influences, rich traditions and tons of social materials. I have never doubted its films and TV works would catch up with the rest of the world, be dazzling once it was through that learning curve and has gained enough investment. I have always believed that a nation so expressive, curious, tenacious and strong would absorb resources however it can, and one day, make hip hop and rock music would be enjoyed around the world. Yes, I am proud that the Chinese themselves are finally playing with their traditional culture, contemporising their dumplings, doing fun things with duilian couplets and Mahjong sets, creating their own New Chinese style, in both clothes and decor.

Now that you know China is cool, I hope you’ll venture to understand its society beneath the surface, and that this in turn, will fuel wider and long-term interests.


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