In recent years, the Chinese image has been heavily altered by the trajectory of China’s diplomatic relations with the West. In tandem with rising tensions, politically-charged vitriol has plagued conversations surrounding the Chinese culture, constructing a largely filtered narrative of biases and half-truths. More often than not, the Chinese identity is steamrolled flat by stereotypes reinforced by this narrative, which has hardened into its most toxic self: a whirlpool of mistrust, misinformation, and most importantly, misconception. We cannot but pose the question: Is there something better we can offer, or will this blinding narrative continue to be the basic resting pulse of every cultural conversation?

Here at Living Chronicles: Unheard Voices of China, we aim to topple that narrative and instead focus on a more story-based lens with which we consider what being a Chinese person means. By bringing real people, real stories, and real feelings into the limelight, we intend to help Chinese people voice their perspectives for a change, and give readers the liberty to interpret the Chinese experience on their own, free of the dictates of mainstream media. From the minorities who find their destiny in the margins to the visionaries who paint their ambition with glimmer and grandeur, we document the story of “us”: people of all stripes, living our best Chinese life.