Young Chinese flock to ‘academic pubs’ as space for free expression shrinks

Sipping a hazy beer in a dimly lit Shanghai pub, Liang Xiao found himself immersed in a sociology lecture that astounded him.

Beneath a projector screen, a Chinese PhD student at an elite American university was explaining how modern states were built to a crowd of more than 40 young urbanites who packed the tiny venue in China’s most cosmopolitan city.

Though the talk did not cover China specifically, Liang was struck by the frankness with which the academic laid out how state power works – including the use of brute force – something rarely discussed openly today in the country’s stifled political environment.

“I was completely stunned when he mentioned violence so bluntly,” said the 32-year-old, who was born and raised in China.

“In China, you just can’t talk about the nature of a country so openly.”

In recent months, “academic pubs” hosting free lectures by Chinese scholars from universities worldwide have sprung up in China’s major cities – such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou – offering a rare open space for free-flowing intellectual conversation in a country where the public sphere is shrinking as censorship tightens.

These alcohol-with-academics sessions delve into a range of topics in the humanities and social sciences. They include issues deemed politically sensitive and often censored online, such as feminism, but also more innocuous subjects like social anxiety and cats in ancient Chinese paintings.

Similar initiatives have been popular in the West for nearly three decades. In Britain, “Cafe Scientifique,” a laid-back science debate forum, kicked off in 1998 and “Pint of Science,” a three-day science festival, launched in May 2013. Both have since gone global.

Now, these brain-expanding happy-hour huddles are catching on in China as its urban, educated youth – emerging from three-year pandemic lockdowns and restrictions – are desperate to reconnect in person.

“Once you leave campus, it’s difficult to find social science talks elsewhere… That’s part of why we’re so eager to make it happen ourselves,” the Shanghai pub posted on its official social media account in late August, wrapping up its first series of pub lectures.

Unlike Western universities, which generally welcome the public, most Chinese campuses remain fenced off, keeping their academic resources exclusive to students, faculty and authorized personnel.

“The rise of academic pubs shows China’s youth are still hunting for places to talk and share ideas, even as the public sphere is shrinking,” said Lei Ya-wen, a sociology professor at Harvard University.

‘Place without authority’

Recent arts graduate Cinnamon Wu attended a talk on the evolution of Chinese-American literature in a Beijing bar just a 10-minute drive from China’s two top universities.

The session, which focused on how Chinese-American immigrants found their place in a strange, sometimes hostile land, elicited a wide-ranging discussion. But Wu, using his English nickname for privacy reasons, was surprised when some participants criticized the apparent influence of political correctness in American popular culture. He didn’t expect attendees of such intellectual events to hold what he saw as conservative views.

While Chinese cyberspace is filled with critiques of political correctness and “wokeness” in American culture, Wu had never heard such opinions voiced so openly in a physical public setting, including on campus.

“It’s actually tough for us to air any political views in class – unless they’re extremely mainstream and unshakable,” Wu said.

“But in the pub, a place without authority… People are more likely to speak their mind.”

The belief that “teachers are always right” is instilled in Chinese students from a young age, he added. Even in college, where critical thinking should be encouraged, he said, he feels “teachers remain unchallengeable authorities.”

University teachers in China, tasked by Beijing with “educating for the Communist Party,” rarely encourage political discussion as they have to steer clear of any controversies that might cross political “red lines.”

Despite finding some views unsettling in the open discussion, Wu still said the academic pub was “worth a visit.”

“It’s refreshing to see people huddled offline in a casual setting, discussing literature and society… It makes me feel like we ordinary folks can also engage in public conversations.”

Elephant in the room?

As the academic pub and bar trend gains momentum, concerns are bubbling up on Chinese social media about the future of this nascent public sphere for intellectuals in the heavily censored country, especially following a string of cultural crackdowns.

Last year, China’s stand-up comedy scene came to a brief halt with shows canceled nationwide after a comedian’s army-themed joke was deemed a “severe insult” to the military, leading authorities to slap a hefty fine on the entertainment firm representing him. Earlier this year, an artist was detained over sculptures he created over a decade ago that featured political critiques.

Nationalist voices online have also grown into a powerful unofficial force policing speech across Chinese social media. They’ve gone after bloggers, journalists, celebrity chefs and even a Nobel laureate, trying to hold people accountable for any remarks or behaviors they see as slighting China.

The trend has extended into university classrooms, with students – in a sign that political loyalty often trumps cultural reverence for educators – reporting their teachers for expressing any view not aligned with party orthodoxy.

Liang, who deemed the state-building talk “bold,” said he loves these academic pub sessions but suspects they will eventually face restriction.

“In a country with such strict governance, it’s common for people to self-censor, scrutinizing their own words – and those of others – from the government’s perspective,” said Lei, the Harvard professor.

“These events are safe for now as they are not organized gatherings by nature,” noted Kang Siqin, an assistant professor from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

Kang, who mainly studies state capacity, gave the first lecture in the Shanghai pub talk series, introducing social science research methods themed around “socializing over drinks.”

“But in China’s context, any kind of gathering can be perceived as presenting challenges to public security,” Kang added.

As for the future of the pub lecture trend, Kang said it “all depends on if anyone wants to target them.”