Beyond the Bestseller: How Institutional Publishing, Diplomatic Funding, and Global Curriculum Shape US-China Perceptions
Original framing: “Reading the Sino-US rivalry: how a quiet literary relationship has shaped views on China” — South China Morning Post
Bibliometric studies indicate that less than 5% of Chinese titles published in the US are authored by scholars from underrepresented regions, and citation impact is heavily skewed toward works funded by government or corporate grants. This data underscores the structural bias in scholarly publishing.
The US‑China literary exchange is less a quiet cultural pastime than a strategically curated conduit shaped by state funding, market incentives, and educational policy, echoing historic patterns of selective translation that reinforce power asymmetries.
Indigenous and marginalised voices remain peripheral, while algorithmic platforms amplify commercially safe narratives, limiting the potential for genuine mutual understanding. Cross‑cultural precedents, such as Japan’s reciprocal post‑war exchanges, demonstrate that more balanced models are possible when institutional frameworks prioritize equity. By instituting joint translation grants, curriculum reforms, and algorithmic accountability, stakeholders can reconfigure the literary pipeline to reflect a pluralistic, historically informed, and future‑resilient dialogue.