NüVoices and Young China Watchers (YCW) London invites you to our co-hosted wanel discussion with Karoline Kan on her latest book “Under Red Skies: The Life and Times of a Chinese Millennial.” YCW is a dynamic group of China-focused young professionals. Through regular roundtables and talks with senior figures in the China academic, policy and business communities, it provides a chance for engaged individuals to interact and discuss the most pressing issues emerging from China today.
Friday, May 31, 2019, 6:30 pm
K-1.14, Strand Campus, King’s College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
[7:00 pm] Doors Open [6:30 pm] Event Begins
A huge gap exists between the older and younger generations in China. Older generations self-describe themselves as “hardworking”, “responsible”, “money-saving” and as “bitter-eaters” (a popular term used to describe those who sacrifice and martyr themselves). By contrast, millennials in China have been labelled, variously: “the spoiled”, “the apolitical”, the generation of “little emperors and princesses”, “the materialists”, “the young nationalists” and “the selfish”. Sweeping generalisations such as these lose sight of the diversity of struggles, achievements, aspirations and stories of an entire generation.
Globally, the voices of young Chinese women are also often neglected. In recent years, several books have attempted to profile Chinese millennials but all have been by foreign authors. Authored by Karoline Kan, “Under Red Skies: The Life and Times of a Chinese Millennial” is the first English-language memoir from a Chinese millennial.
In Under Red Skies, Kan tells the stories of three generations of her family, shedding light upon the experiences of navigating a career and love during a time rife with socio-political and economic change in China. As such, Kan’s family portrait reflects the shifting sands of China and reveals how the country’s jarring past and the stories of older generations have shaped China into the powerful nation it is today. The real China, Kan shows, is not only what is shown in the daily news cycle.
Copies of her book will be on sale at the event and are also available on Amazon UK.
Format
- A short reading, followed by a discussion and an audience Q&A.
- The event will close with networking drinks at 8:30pm at The Wellington (351 Strand, Londra WC2R 0HS, Inghilterra)
About the author
Karoline Kan is the author of “Under Red Skies: The Life and Times of a Chinese Millennial.” She is also a former New York Times reporter who writes about millennial life and politics in China. Currently, Kan is Beijing Editor at Chinadialogue and a Board Member of NüVoices. She lives in Beijing.