"Among the People: Amateur historians, independent directors, human rights lawyers and bloggers, the power rising from the grassroots, the voices and actions of contemporary Chinese intellectuals" Author: Sebastian Veg

In the People's Republic, which is gradually becoming silent, there is still a group of intellectuals who are unwilling to remain silent.
They are unofficial, unorganized, and among the people—proud to be “civilian”
★The Chinese version exclusively includes "Dialogue with Wei Jian" and "Dialogue with Jia Zhangke"★

After the democratic movement was frustrated in 1989 and economic reforms were restarted in 1992, a new type of grassroots intellectuals emerged. Unlike the literati who retreated to traditional fields, they actively cooperated with the weak and marginalized groups; unlike the public intellectuals who loudly called for democracy and modernity in the 1980s, they strongly opposed the rhetoric of the elite. They declared the independence of thought and action and were proud of being "civilian" - unofficial, unorganized, and among the people.

This book portrays a group of grassroots thinkers and activists who have profoundly changed China's public culture, including amateur historians who question official statements, independent directors who let the people speak, and human rights lawyers and NGO workers who share practical knowledge. They have opened up new public spheres outside of academia and government agencies, and focused on specific and serious real-life issues: political victims of the Mao Zedong era, children of migrant workers who cannot receive education, and visitors without residence permits.

Wei Jian delves into the undercurrents of change beneath the surface of contemporary Chinese society, analyzing the public discourse, intervention actions, and knowledge production of private intellectuals, bringing grassroots intellectual groups that have long been on the margins of power - especially female intellectuals - into the map of Chinese intellectual history.

Under the shadow of an authoritarian state, the power of knowledge is profoundly changing Chinese society!

■ Amateur historian - Yang Jishen
After retirement, he began to collect unofficial archives about the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution, and published his book Tombstone in Hong Kong in 2008. "A large number of letters from readers across the country gave me firm and enthusiastic support. This shows that the truth has a strong penetrating power and can break through the copper wall and iron wall constructed by administrative power!"

■ Independent Director——Jia Zhangke
The first generation of directors who shot films outside the system focused on themes that were ignored by the mainstream. "I have always been disgusted by the inexplicable sense of professional superiority, while the amateur spirit contains equality and justice, as well as concern for fate and sympathy for ordinary people."

■ Human rights lawyer - Xu Zhiyong
He played an important role in the Sun Zhigang case, the founding of the Civil Rights Alliance, and the issue of visiting citizens. He was later arrested and imprisoned because of the New Citizens Movement. "I have the ability to live a superior life in this system, but any privileges will make me feel ashamed. I choose to stand on the side of the powerless, feel the coldness of the streets and underground passages in Beijing in winter, and endure the brutal violence of the black prison together."

■ Blogger——Han Han
After dropping out of high school, he became a best-selling novelist and racing driver, and often commented on political issues. "I hate politics, and I love literature and art. But I don't like the literature and art that I love to be hindered by the politics that I hate."
(For more biographies of private intellectuals, see the appendix of this book)

Good reviews
▍Article citation

Wu Jiemin / Researcher, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica
Although this book focuses on the transformation of intellectuals after the Tiananmen Incident, the civil society as a social network of resistance can be used to interpret China's modern history. The intervention of grassroots intellectuals has injected a new force into China's traditional civil society and redefined it. Wei Jian concluded that the term "civil society" highlights that citizenship in China today is still conditional, because civil actors may not have a full awareness of citizen rights. Although civil society is not equal to civil society, the author believes that this book brings a new level of understanding of the evolution of China's state-society relations and provides a new critical perspective on Western civil society theory.

Zhao Sile / Journalist, author of "Their Journey"
For a research monograph on a little-known aspect of China, we must return to the most critical question in evaluating its value: Does it capture the essential characteristics of an important aspect and present it reliably? As a journalist and author who has studied and written about Chinese civil movements for many years, I think the answer to both questions is yes. China's emerging intellectual groups are more inclined to discuss specific social issues, and their self-positioning and concerns are closer to the bottom and disadvantaged groups in society. Wei Jian's book provides a respectable and credible discussion of this important phenomenon.

▍Highly recommended

He Mingxiu / Professor of Sociology, National Taiwan University
After the Tiananmen Square incident, dissidents have never been silent. They have raised their criticisms through social problem reporting, oral history recording of state violence, documentary and artistic creation, and rights protection advocacy. They have rewritten the tradition of Chinese intellectuals since the May Fourth Movement, abandoned the elitist mentality of claiming to be the conscience of society, rejected the comfortable academic system, and actively embraced commercialized media and online media. Under Xi Jinping's administration, the situation of this group of grassroots intellectuals has become more difficult, and the new generation of dissidents will continue to speak out in different postures and channels.

He Xinjie / Editor-in-Chief of The Initium Media Taiwan Group
For contemporary intellectuals, how is it possible to be "civilian" outside the world and the temple? How can grand beliefs be transformed into daily grassroots actions? These two questions are extremely important in any society. However, the personal practice of a few activists is often rarely seen in history books because it happens at the grassroots level, is fragmented, and is easily broken. Wei Jian's arrangement is a relatively complete and precious historical record.

Li Zhide / Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Mirror Literature
After reading Wei Jian's "Among the People", I felt a deep regret: it turns out that China today has lost so many intellectuals and professionals who are willing to pursue civilization and devote themselves; and how many opportunities and possibilities for China to be more advanced than it is now have been lost under the rule of the totalitarian government.

Lin Mumu / Curator of Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival
In the current political context of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, it is undoubtedly meaningful that Wei Jian's new book "Among the People" can be published in Taiwan. If "intellectuals" means a kind of lofty independence and critical spirit, then Wei Jian's long-term observation, writing and interviews not only record this generation of Chinese intellectuals, but also trace the contradictions, survival and transformation faced by intellectuals in this great era, as well as what the seeds of intellectuals can be and what they can do after germinating among the people. The core of the book is rooted in a call for justice and conscience. Many of the dialectics in the book have become sharp and thorough under the test of time, and are worth reading again and again.

Qiu Yiling / Secretary-General of Amnesty International Taiwan Chapter
Most media reports or research studies focus on the various repressive measures of the Chinese government. This book provides another perspective, describing how grassroots activists in China break away from the framework of traditional intellectuals to organize and form networks. The content is wonderful and worth reading.

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▍Good reviews from all walks of life

In an era of deepening authoritarianism in China and elsewhere, this book provides important insights into civic resilience under the shadow of oppressive institutions. The author uniquely shows how independent and critical civil society intellectuals in different roles can resist institutional control and thus challenge the power of the party. --Eva Pils, Professor of Law, King's College London

In the past, Chinese intellectuals put the country first and "took the world as their responsibility." But commercialization and a government without moral approval have given rise to a new generation of intellectuals who are more concerned with specific social issues and distance themselves from the state. Wei Jian accurately analyzes this significant change in the thinking and status of intellectuals in this carefully researched and beautifully written book. --Joseph Fewsmith, Professor of Political Science, Boston University

Published at a time when the Chinese government is tightening restrictions on free speech, Wei Jian's timely and in-depth research examines how China's "grassroots intellectuals" use different media and platforms to criticize the sociopolitical conditions in contemporary China. -Carlos Rojas, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University

Sometimes to the chagrin of Chinese leaders, China has developed a vibrant field of intellectual creation and political discussion outside Communist Party control. Although unofficial, it has considerable influence. Western observers tend to see only fragments, but Wei Jian provides a full view, including personal biographies and useful analysis. --Craig Calhoun, professor of sociology at Arizona State University

"Among the People" offers a comprehensive survey of the new intellectuals of the digital age. From independent filmmakers and historians to lawyers and journalists, these grassroots intellectuals have changed China's public culture and what it means to be an intellectual. Wei Jian tells the fascinating stories of activists in the context of broader historical changes. It is an important contribution to China studies and an excellent resource for teaching. --Guobin Yang, professor of sociology, University of Pennsylvania

The first comprehensive account of this new class of thinkers, artists, and filmmakers. --New York Review of Books


▎About the author/translator
Author: Sebastian Veg
He holds a PhD in literature from the University of Aix-en-Provence in France and is the French translator of Lu Xun's novels. He is currently a professor of Chinese intellectual history at the Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in France and an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. His research areas are the history of modern and contemporary Chinese thought, intellectuals and literature. He has lived in Hong Kong for a long time and has served as a researcher at the French Center for Contemporary Chinese Studies, a visiting scholar at the Institute of Oriental Culture, the University of Tokyo, and an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong. From 2011 to 2015, he served as the director of the center's research center and the editor-in-chief of the center's quarterly China Perspectives. He has edited "Popular Memory in the Mao Era: From Critical Debate to Reassessment of History" and "Sunflowers and Umbrellas: Social Action, Expressive Practice and Political Culture in Taiwan and Hong Kong", and has written books such as "Between Fiction and Reality: Literature, Modernism and Democracy in the Early 20th Century".

Translator: Zeng Jinyan
PhD in Social Work and Social Administration from the University of Hong Kong, Oak Scholar (Photography and Film) at Colby College, USA, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for East and Southeast Asian Studies, Lund University, Sweden. Her research areas include culture and politics in China, intellectual identity and social action, gender and sexuality, and ethnicity and women's writing. She is the author of "Feminism in China: The Birth of Citizen Intellectuals", which won the 2017 Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Award in the Social Science Category. She participated in the production, directing, and distribution of documentary films such as "Prisoners of Liberty City", "To Liu Xia", "On the Edge of Disaster", and "Shouts and Whispers". She has published novels and poems in Chinese, French, and English under a pseudonym.

Translator: Xu Xibai
PhD candidate in Politics and International Relations at Oxford University, focusing on the relationship between Chinese civil society organizations and the state. His articles have appeared in media such as The Paper, Interface News, and Initium Media. He has translated books such as Does Capitalism Have a Future?, Bottleneck: A New Theory of Equal Opportunity, and The Forgotten History of Liberalism.