The Intimate Side of China’s Global Rise

What can migration, marriage and everyday intimacy tell us about China’s global presence?

In this episode of Mapping Global China Conversations, we speak with Professor Elena Barabantseva of the University of Manchester about borders, identity, migration, nationalism and the intimate dimensions of a globalizing China.

From overseas Chinese communities and ethnic minorities to cross-border marriages and Chinese diasporic identities, the conversation explores how China's national ambitions and global presence are experienced through the everyday lives of individuals and communities. Professor Barabantseva also discusses her research on the idea of “post-Soviet brides” in China, examining how media representations, gender expectations and nationalism shape imaginaries around cross-border intimacy.

The conversation also explores the role of visual ethnography and filmmaking in research, including Professor Barabantseva's documentary A Letter to Chinatown, which revisits questions of identity, belonging and racial discrimination among British Chinese communities.

 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• What does “Global China” mean and why think instead about a “globalizing China”?  

• Borders, margins and peripheral perspectives in the study of China  

• Overseas Chinese, ethnic minorities and Chinese nationalism  

• Migration, marriage and the politics of intimacy  

• The myth and reality of “Russian brides” in China  

• Gender, desire and China's global aspirations  

• Cross-border relationships and the China Dream  

• Visual ethnography and filmmaking as research tools  

• Chinese identity, belonging and racial discrimination in the UK  

• Why China's global presence needs to be understood through everyday experiences  

 

Watch the full conversation to explore how looking at intimacy, migration and identity can offer new perspectives on China's changing relationship with the world.