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”.  Combine with this are China’s Gen Z reengaging with vintage and classic culture as a form of “China-maxxing”, and many Asian diaspora, who’d have to be pinned down before admitting their Chinese 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”. 


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