{"id":32429,"date":"2023-01-12T18:54:38","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T07:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinaheritage.net\/?page_id=32429"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:44:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:44:58","slug":"the-other-china","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chinaheritage.net\/the-other-china\/","title":{"rendered":"The Other China"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Other China is not the China of stentorian slogans, cutting barbs, sarcastic put-downs. It is not the China of clich\u00e9d patriotism and exaggerated public performance; nor is it the China of crude stereotypes and bottomless grievance. It is a China of humanity and decency, of quiet dignity and unflappable perseverance. It is a China that finds expression in myriad ways in a country dominated by a political party that would bend all to its will; it is a China that survived the depredations of the Mao era (1949-1978) and increasingly flourished during the decades of reform from 1978 to 2008. For decades, Hong Kong was a global nexus for The Other China (for more on this, see Hong Kong Apostasy<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in this journal).<\/p>\n

The Other China, or what could also be called ‘Other Chinas’, is not limited to the People\u2019s Republic of China, for it is part of a global culture unique to itself but also with universal aspirations and appeal.<\/p>\n

Throughout the Xi Jinping era Official China has strained to impose uniformity on the Chinese world, be it in the People’s Republic or internationally. Despite its tireless attempts to discipline, corral and silence the voices of difference, The Other China\/ Other Chinas, or what elsewhere we have referred to as the Invisible Republic of the Spirit, an ‘inland empire’ if you will, persists. Cowed at times, The Other China is resilient. Long after the droning monotone of Xi Jinping and his minions has died down, The\u00a0Other China will flourish in variegated and ever-newer ways. The Xi Jinping autarchy has, if anything, contributed to the international presence of The Other China, just as other periods of repression in China Proper led to a flourishing of Chinese possibility elsewhere.<\/p>\n

China Heritage<\/em>\u00a0is devoted to listening to and understanding aspects of The Other China. Many of our essays, translations and commentaries offer access to, as well as insights into China’s parallel worlds and in this section of China Heritage<\/em> we focus on works and creators who advance our understanding of the rich and evolving Chinese multiverse.<\/p>\n

Our interest in The Other China is a continuation of the work of China Heritage Quarterly<\/em>, the predecessor of China Heritage<\/em>, where we first introduced readers to T’ien Hsia Monthly<\/em><\/a> and The China Critic<\/em><\/a>, both of which were early outlets for voices from The Other China.<\/p>\n

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\u2018How would you explain the three Covid years to a rabbit?\u2019 Painting by Lao Shu \u8001\u6a39, late winter, Year of the Tiger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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It is over forty-five years ago since, after three years at Maoist universities in the mid 1970s, I had my initial encounter with ‘The Other China’. It was in the home of the renowned translators Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang and, through the warm embrace of their\u00a0friendship, I was granted entry to a realm that existed both in parallel to, and often in spite of, Official China:<\/p>\n

‘From the dying days of the Cultural Revolution, Xianyi and Gladys’ sitting room became the scene of a unique and unforgettable salon, for Chinese and non-Chinese friends and visitors alike. It was also something of an alien realm, a post-colonial ‘extra-territorial zone’, for although the Yangs were still under constant surveillance, even their past minders, keepers and in some cases oppressors would out of curiosity and wonderment come calling, sometimes sincerely to pay their respects. As time went on and as the shrill nonsense of Maoist revolution faded both from reality and from memory many who had shunned the Yangs in the past, or those who had been given the cheerless task of making their lives a misery, began to sense that what had been of such moment was merely transitory folly, while the world of letters and conversation, understanding and engagement represented by Gladys and Xianyi would outlast them all.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 The People’s Republic of Wine<\/a>,<\/em> China Heritage Quarterly, March 2011<\/em><\/p>\n

In China Heritage<\/em>\u00a0‘The Other China’ both celebrates and strives to introduce readers to that invisible republic of the spirit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The lively tension between Substance, Shadow and Spirit \u8eab\u3001\u5f71\u3001\u795e, as revealed in the poetry of Tao Yuanming, best reflects my notion of The Other China. While aspects of the The Other China can be conveyed in words \u8a00\u50b3\u00a0y\u00e1n chu\u00e1n<\/em>, others call for an intuitive appreciation \u610f\u6703\u00a0y\u00ec hu\u00ec<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Geremie R. Barm\u00e9
\nEditor, China Heritage<\/em>
\nJanuary 2023<\/p>\n

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