Strange Tales from China

Abstract

Strange Tales from China is a collection of three short stories that each explore a different social issue and/or current topic in China. The first of these stories, Choking, centers around an aspiring journalist in Beijing who has started writing a blog on the pandemic, and who earns his living helping Chinese students with their American college applications. When one of his students becomes too demanding, and his life becomes a living hell, he reaches his breaking point. The second piece, Dream School, is the story of a Chinese student named Dawei who is applying to American colleges using a private education company in China. This short story aims to shine a light on the disproportionate value placed on college rankings in China, the lack of moral fiber in modern Chinese society and how extreme academic pressure and high societal expectations lead a considerable number of Chinese international students in the US to suffer from mental health issues. And lastly, The Bookseller, is the story of Mr. Li, a Hong Kong bookseller who finds himself in jail on the mainland. This story explores the psychology of Chinese police officers as well as of people detained for actions deemed as political crimes in China, and showcases some of the psychological methods used to make the booksellers crack.