About
The name of this Substack was inspired by my favorite quote about China studies by Sinologist Simon Leys, who really has a gift for words, analogizing reading Communist documents to “munching rhinoceros sausage, or to swallowing sawdust by the bucketful.”
I am American and have lived in China for close to two years. I studied a mix of China studies and international relations, and have about 4 years of working experience. Those are my “credentials,” and judge the posts as you will. I am keeping this blog anonymous to protect my identity while in China. Nevertheless, I welcome any and all feedback.
The full Leys quote is below for those who want to experience its full glory. The imagery and language used here is unparalleled, and my four word summary is “China-watching is hard.”’
Scholars of China must master three skills.
“First, he needs to have a fluent command of the Chinese language.”
“Secondly, in the course of his exhaustive surveys of Chinese official documentation, the analyst must absorb industrial quantities of the most indigestible stuff; reading Communist literature is akin to munching rhinoceros sausage, or to swallowing sawdust by the bucketful. Furthermore, while subjecting himself to this punishment, the analyst cannot allow his attention to wander, or his mind to become numb; he must keep his wits sharp and keen; with the eye of an eagle that can spot a lone rabbit in the middle of a desert, he must scan the arid wastes of the small print in the pages of People’s Daily and pounce upon those rare items of significance that lie buried under mountains of clichés.” “He must scavenge for needles in Himalayan-size haystacks; he must combine the nose of a hunting hound, the concentration and patience of an angler and the intuition and encyclopaedic knowledge of a Sherlock Holmes.”
“Thirdly — and this is his greatest challenge — he must crack the code of the Communist political jargon and translate into ordinary speech this secret language full of symbols, riddles, cryptograms, hints, traps, dark allusions and red herrings. Like wise old peasants who can forecast tomorrow’s weather by noting how deep the moles dig and how high the swallows fly, he must be able to decipher the premonitory signs of political storms and thaws, and know how to interpret a wide range of quaint warnings — sometimes the Supreme Leader takes a swim in the Yangtze River, or suddenly writes a new poem, or sponsors a ping-pong game: such events all have momentous implications.”
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