SARS Stories: Affect and Archive of the 2003 Pandemic

Belinda Kong's book SARS Stories explores the cultural archive of the 2003 SARS pandemic, examining Chinese-language creative works and social practices in China and Hong Kong. It highlights the resilience and humanity of those living through the pandemic, challenging orientalism and promoting greater fellowship in the face of pandemics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2024
Publisher: Duke University Press

In SARS Stories, Belinda Kong delves into the rich cultural archive of the 2003 SARS pandemic, examining Chinese-language creative works and social practices at the epicenters of the outbreak in China and Hong Kong. As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light issues of anti-Asian racism and sinophobia, Kong traces how Chinese people navigated the SARS crisis and found meaning amidst the turmoil through cultures of epidemic expression. From sentimental romances and Cantopop songs to raunchy sex comedies and crowdsourced ghost tales, unexpected and minor genres and creators of Chinese popular culture highlight the resilience and humanity of those living through the pandemic. Rather than narrating pandemic life in terms of crisis and catastrophe, Kong argues that these works showcase Chinese practices of community, care, and love in the face of disease. She also highlights the persistence of orientalism in anglophone accounts of SARS index patients and global reporting on COVID-era China. Kong demonstrates how the Chinese experiences of living with SARS can reshape global perceptions of pandemic social life and foster greater fellowship in the face of pandemics.

SARS Stories, by Belinda Kong, explores the cultural legacy of the 2003 SARS pandemic, examining Chinese-language creative works and social practices in China and Hong Kong. As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light issues of anti-Asian racism and sinophobia, Kong traces how Chinese people navigated the SARS crisis and found meaning amidst the turmoil through cultures of epidemic expression. From sentimental romances and Cantopop songs to raunchy sex comedies and crowdsourced ghost tales, unexpected and minor genres and creators of Chinese popular culture highlight the resilience and humanity of those living through the pandemic. Rather than narrating pandemic life in terms of crisis and catastrophe, Kong argues that these works showcase Chinese practices of community, care, and love in the face of disease. She also highlights the persistence of orientalism in anglophone accounts of SARS index patients and global reporting on COVID-era China. Kong demonstrates how the Chinese experiences of living with SARS can reshape global perceptions of pandemic social life and foster greater fellowship in the face of pandemics.

Weight: 572g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478020929