A year ago came what, for lack of a better term, we dubbed the DeepSeek moment. That was followed fairly quickly by the curious migration of “TikTok refugees” to Xiaohongshu, and not long after that by the first conversations Jeremy Goldkorn and I had about what felt like a changing American — or even Western — mood toward China.
Good essay. To the extent that Americans can more clearly see the realities of China in all its complexity, that’s a good thing, for sure.
All sorts of shifts and ruptures happening these days. Hard to keep track. And how it will play out is anyone’s guess. One result I would not welcome is the one that this administration seems to be aiming for: a supposedly peaceful and balanced world where the U.S., China and Russia all act without restraint in their own spheres of influence. No thanks.
In 25 or 50 years, historians and pundits will be asking young people now what it was
like to live through one of those years the significance of which everyone will know. In this case, the year the US ... retired. And you remember "The World Turned Upside Down" from 1781.
I just came across Taylor Lorenz chatting with Twitch streamer Caroline Kwan in an episode titled "Why Everyone Online is Becoming Chinese." One, Taylor Lorenz...? And two, this Caroline Kwan recently accompanied Hasan Piker on a trip to China... It's not just a vibe shift, it's some kind of weird convergence... ;) While everyday life in California is already quite "Chinese time," when we see Chinese EVs driving across from the Canadian border, then we'll probably all think we've entered a fictional sci-fi movie... Meanwhile, Adam Tooze schooled Ezra Klein somethin' pretty in a recent conversation. He continues to be a leading voice to articulate the same - that "The West" has yet to grapple with the meaning of China's transformation that clearly counters the ipso facto triumphant dominance narrative of supposedly defining Modernity/Progress by virtue of its existence. But what's next? Ezra doing a tour of China like Hasanabi? Who comes after that? Scott Galloway? Tucker Carlson? Joe Rogan...??? ;) I think we are all in for a rocky ride. When someone feels they have been robbed of something they thought they were entitled to, reactions will not all be as eager as all these hot water sippers shuffling around in slippers...
Good essay. To the extent that Americans can more clearly see the realities of China in all its complexity, that’s a good thing, for sure.
All sorts of shifts and ruptures happening these days. Hard to keep track. And how it will play out is anyone’s guess. One result I would not welcome is the one that this administration seems to be aiming for: a supposedly peaceful and balanced world where the U.S., China and Russia all act without restraint in their own spheres of influence. No thanks.
I wrote a bit about this - with less detail - almost a year ago https://chinareflections.com/1776-1861-1917-1929-1941-1950-1963-1968-2001-2025/
In 25 or 50 years, historians and pundits will be asking young people now what it was
like to live through one of those years the significance of which everyone will know. In this case, the year the US ... retired. And you remember "The World Turned Upside Down" from 1781.
I just came across Taylor Lorenz chatting with Twitch streamer Caroline Kwan in an episode titled "Why Everyone Online is Becoming Chinese." One, Taylor Lorenz...? And two, this Caroline Kwan recently accompanied Hasan Piker on a trip to China... It's not just a vibe shift, it's some kind of weird convergence... ;) While everyday life in California is already quite "Chinese time," when we see Chinese EVs driving across from the Canadian border, then we'll probably all think we've entered a fictional sci-fi movie... Meanwhile, Adam Tooze schooled Ezra Klein somethin' pretty in a recent conversation. He continues to be a leading voice to articulate the same - that "The West" has yet to grapple with the meaning of China's transformation that clearly counters the ipso facto triumphant dominance narrative of supposedly defining Modernity/Progress by virtue of its existence. But what's next? Ezra doing a tour of China like Hasanabi? Who comes after that? Scott Galloway? Tucker Carlson? Joe Rogan...??? ;) I think we are all in for a rocky ride. When someone feels they have been robbed of something they thought they were entitled to, reactions will not all be as eager as all these hot water sippers shuffling around in slippers...