SOAS China Institute

Next Mon, 20 April at 5.15pm - Seminar on 'Smashing Statues as Posthumous Punishment in Imperial China' with Dr Desmond Cheung.

The smashing of statues has caught widespread attention in recent years, often in the context of condemning imperialism and colonialism and their enduring legacy by literally bringing down the figures of empire.

But amid these raging controversies, there has been little reference to the different meanings that the creation of statues – and their destruction – might have outside this contemporary anti-imperialist context.

In this seminar, Dr Desmond Cheung will present cases from Hangzhou during the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644), specifically the Shrine of Yue Fei and the Feilaifeng rock sculptures at Lingyin Monastery, where the smashing of statues that occurred within very different cultural contexts might help us to think about the purpose of public statues in a new light. Smashing statues might not only concern the destruction of what one condemns, but also constitute a constructive and meaningful act, a form of posthumous punishment that contributes to public narratives of history.

Find out more and register here:

Smashing statues as posthumous punishment in Imperial China In this seminar, Dr Desmond Cheung will examine cases of statue smashing in Hangzhou during the Ming dynasty, analysing their significance.

China In Context Ep206: China's International Ambitions — A Global Opposition Party?

Listen here: https://soas-china-institute.buzzsprout.com/1669327/episodes/18944604-china-s-international-ambitions-a-global-opposition-party

The presidency of Donald Trump has given China fresh opportunities to increase its influence on the international stage. China has long been seeking to expand its role in global governance, proposing initiatives on issues ranging from development and security to the regulation of the internet and AI. It’s also founded the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and is a prime mover in groups including the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. At the recent annual China Development Forum, its premier Li Qiang told an audience of international executives that China was a ‘haven of stability’ in a volatile world. And Beijing, along with Pakistan, has now proposed a peace plan for Iran and the Middle East. Yet China also continues to assert what it sees as its core interests on issues including Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, and in its tariff clashes with the US. And many observers have argued that China’s rise makes a conflict with the United States almost inevitable — in line with concepts such as power transition theory and the Thucydides trap. But a new article by two academics proposes an alternative analysis of China’s international role — as the leader of a ‘global opposition campaign’. Its co-authors, Todd Hall, professor of international relations and director of the China Centre at Oxford University and author of the book ‘Emotional Diplomacy - Official Emotion on the International Stage’, and Hannah Bailey, assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a specialist on Chinese global influence campaigns, join us to discuss China’s global ambitions, and the tensions between what they describe as the nation’s overlapping and sometimes contradictory personas.

China In Context Ep205: Slower Growth, Hi-tech Self-reliance, and 'Ethnic Unity' — China plans the future

Listen here: https://soas-china-institute.buzzsprout.com/1669327/episodes/18870326-slower-growth-hi-tech-self-reliance-and-ethnic-unity-china-plans-the-future

China's legislature this month set the nation's GDP growth target at 4.5 – 5%, the lowest since 1991, and also approved the country's new five year plan, which calls for higher quality growth with an emphasis on self-reliance and technological innovation, and pledges to promote domestic consumption and improve citizens' livelihoods. The National People’s Congress also passed a new 'Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity', which among other things, enshrines the use of Mandarin in schools in ethnic minority-dominated regions. In this episode, Evelyn Cheng, senior correspondent for CNBC in Beijing, joins us to assess China’s economic plans, while Christopher Mittelstaedt, Professor of Chinese politics at the University of Zurich, analyses the political implications of the Five Year Plan and the ethnic unity law.

China In Context Ep204: China's Economic Plans — and Consumer Challenges

Listen here: https://soas-china-institute.buzzsprout.com/1669327/episodes/18782139-china-s-economic-plans-and-consumer-challenges

China’s legislature is meeting in March to approve the nation’s new Five Year Plan, which aims to promote higher quality growth, and make China increasingly self-sufficient in new technology of all kinds, from AI to semiconductors. Yet it comes against a backdrop of uncertainty and tariff wars abroad, and high youth unemployment and a slumping property market at home. Xi Jinping has pinned his hopes on boosting domestic consumption and has pledged to promote the private economy, which he had previously hit with a major regulatory crackdown. But will this be enough to stimulate the kind of economic revival the government is hoping for? Andy Rothman, founder of the consultancy Sinology LLC, former China-based analyst and diplomat, and now senior advisor to the DGA Albright Stonebridge Group and senior China fellow at the Asia Society Northern California, discusses China’s economic prospects — and the challenges for consumer confidence and private enterprise.

China In Context Ep203: Xi Jinping and his Father — Power, purges, parenting

Listen here: https://soas-china-institute.buzzsprout.com/1669327/episodes/18699683-xi-jinping-and-his-father-power-purges-parenting

The run-up to the lunar year has been a busy one for China’s President Xi Jinping, with world leaders beating a path to Beijing to meet him; he also found time to purge two of the Chinese military’s top generals, while the outspoken Hong Kong newspaper publisher and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was jailed for 20 years. And with the erratic trade and foreign policy of the US currently boosting Beijing’s global influence, the 72 year-old leader could be said to be at the height of his powers. Yet even after more than a decade in charge of China, to many people outside the country he remains something of an enigma, rarely speaking to international media. Professor Joseph Torigian, a specialist on Chinese politics at American University in Washington DC, offers an unusual insight into Xi Jinping’s backstory in his new book, The Party’s Interests Come First, a biography of the Chinese president’s father, Xi Zhongxun (1913-2002), who was himself a senior party official, but was purged from the leadership by Chairman Mao and jailed in the 1960s and 70s, before returning to pioneer economic reforms in southern China. In this episode, Joseph Torigian looks at how his father’s experiences may — or in some cases may not — have influenced Xi Jinping’s life and politics.

A new book by Jieyu Liu offers a comprehensive overview of Chinese family practices, including s*xual behaviour seen through the eyes of three generations.

China is becoming more s*xually liberal – if you are a man - SOAS China Institute In China women's s*x lives are still more constrained by social expectations than men, comments Jieyu Liu.

What is “analogue social media”? Avital Avina comments on the sharing of information and propaganda in China, and argues that social media has pre-internet roots.

Retronym: Analogue Social Media in China - SOAS China Institute Avital Avina comments on the sharing of information and propaganda in China, and argues that social media has pre-internet roots.

Following Keir Starmer’s recent visit to China, Steve Tsang offers his take on how the UK government should approach its relationship with Beijing.

How the UK should engage with China - SOAS China Institute Following Keir Starmer’s recent visit to China, Steve Tsang offers his take on how the UK should approach its relationship with Beijing.

Alexander Ayertey Odonkor comments on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January 2026 visit to Beijing, signalling a pragmatic turn in Canada–China relations.

Carney in Beijing: What Canada's China Reset Means for Trade, EVs and Canola - SOAS China Institute Alexander Ayertey Odonkor comments on Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing, signalling a pragmatic turn in Canada–China relations.

The legacy of Sun Yat-sen now belongs to rival political narratives, precisely because his framework left room for reinterpretation, writes Meng Kit Tang in this blog post.

Sun Yat-sen's Political Legacy: A Tragic Blueprint for Chinese Democracy - SOAS China Institute Sun Yat-sen now belongs to rival political narratives, precisely because his framework left room for reinterpretation, writes Meng Kit Tang.