Another powerful piece by @yangyang_cheng: "They conveniently ignore the hidden labour that underpins their comfort: the years-long effort by the Chinese public to learn English and the daily toil of fixers, guides and interpreters." theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
"Lived experience alone does not equate with scholarship, and at the same time, linguistic dexterity alone is a poor metric for genuine understanding. Plenty of excellent reporting and analysis on China is conducted in non-Chinese languages."
"Beneath the arrogant gatekeeping and flippant dismissals is an old tale of power and personhood: who is interested in China? Whose opinions are valued? What constitutes Chinese-ness, and who gets to define it?"
"The lives and wellbeing of Chinese people, affected by policies, rhetoric and business deals, barely register in these discussions. Knowledge of the local language becomes irrelevant when the natives are presumed silent."
"Some of the self-labelled “China experts” proudly cite their many trips to the Middle Kingdom as proof that one does not need to know the language to have a pleasant, productive time there."
"Mostly young Chinese women move between languages to serve distinguished foreign guests, mostly older, white men. In both my birth country and my adopted home, English is coded with whiteness and whiteness signals expertise."
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