Why “Beyond China’s Single Story”?

The title of this blog comes from Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s eloquent TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story.”  The central theme of her speech is that there are always many stories about any place, which we often overlook.  She shares her experiences hearing others’ stereotypes about Nigeria and Africa, as well as the single stories she held about topics as diverse as literature, her family’s houseboy and Mexico.

Here are some of my favorite lines from the speech:

Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.

I first learned about how these words apply to China from this post from All Roads Lead to China:

regardless of their personal and professional backgrounds, many who come to China seeking whatever it is they are seeking, are quite often coming with a single story.

that China is the ____. Where the ___ could represent the biggest market, the cheapest producer, the future, the past, the missed opportunity  [more]

I’ve discussed this TED Talk many times with my students, never tiring of Adichie’s poetic voice, memorable details and timeless message.  One asked, “Leslie, what was your single story of China before you got here?”  I honestly knew very little about China, beyond my interactions with diligent Chinese-American classmates whose parents took particular interest in their academics. I realized the phrase had entered our class lexicon when one asked about my single story of American cars.  “They’re bad,” I blurted, before noticing that my limited experience had colored my reaction.

My goal in this blog is to share remarkable stories, of China and beyond.

Thanks for reading.

Here are some of my favorite China stories.