Connie is a writer based in Shanghai. Her writings focus on Chinese culture and society.
Earlier this month, Shanghai police raided Renren Yingshi, a large video-sharing platform that relied on the work of online communities to add user-created subtitles to foreign TV shows and movies. What is the future of these subtitling groups?
“Growing up in an authoritarian system, I regarded cynicism as part of life,” writes Connie Mei Pickart, who became an American citizen six years ago and voted in her first presidential election in 2016. “But in a democratic state, a cynical attitude has far-reaching consequences,” she adds — a lesson she learned the hard way.
Xinjiang. Hong Kong. Democracy. Racism. How does an American-educated Chinese talk to her mainland Chinese friends about these subjects? Connie Mei Pickart tried, and found that her companions were far from brainwashed in their views. The reality was more worrisome.
This melodramatic tale of materialism, individualism, love, and female friendship drew record ratings over the summer, all while eliciting heaps of praise and outrage.