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Chinese Salon

Chinese Salon? What a strange name!

Before you ask, no we don’t offer hair cutting service. Nor do we serve drinks. What we offer is a forum for uncensored discussion.

The original French word “salon” means “a large reception room in a large house” or “the collection of people likely to be present at a social affair therein.” E.g. Mme. Dumas held a salon on Thursdays. Social theorist Jürgen Habermas traces the emergence of the public sphere (Öffentlichkeit) in the West to those Parisian salons that became so fashionable during the Enlightenment. Thus it should come as no surprise that the Chinese have long used the word “salon” to denote a discussion group. One of the most prominent examples is the Democracy Salon, set up in Beijing University in the late 80s, whose members would become, during that fateful year of 1989, key players in the largest pro-democracy movement the world has seen.



Why does this society exist?

The Chinese Salon brings together people interested in different issues relating to China. We seek to inform ourselves and others in the community responsibly and to provide a forum for free discussion and debate by organising talks, art film and documentary screenings, reading groups, and socials. Whether you are Chinese or not, you are more than welcome to join this new and informative society!



Why should you join?

Our guests have included the famous Chinese dissident Wang Dan so this is an exciting time to join! Want to know more about the recent unrest in East Turkestan and Tibet? Want to know more about the Chinese human rights movement? Want to know more about the Cultural Revolution? Or are you just curious about life in China? Whether your interest in China is ancient or modern, cultural or political, this is the student society for you. And if you are interested in a topic that we haven’t mentioned, please come tell us about it!



About our beginnings:

The Chinese Salon was originally founded at the University of Cambridge, and the chapter here at Essex was founded in 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Although the Chinese Salon has no official political stance in the sense that you have to be of a certain political orientation to join, we seek to raise awareness of political issues affecting China and we freely share information about political campaigns with one another.

 
 
 
We’re on Facebook!
 
Please check out the group "Chinese Salon at the University of Essex" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=129947830564.
 
 
 
Officers:
 
President: Wong Sum-Lung Tsing-Kong (slwong@essex.ac.uk)
Secretary: Mok Hon Him (hhmok@essex.ac.uk)
Treasurer: Iulia Ionescu (imnico@essex.ac.uk)
 
 
 

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www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=129947830564&ref=ts
slwong@essex.ac.uk