In China today, what—or whom—do people believe in? In the magazine this week, I profile Han Han, the blogger, novelist, and magazine-cover-model who, at age twenty-eight, is one of the most unlikely icons in Chinese public life. (“The Han Dynasty” is available to subscribers.)
Measuring influence in China is a slippery science, which makes Han Han all the more remarkable. In a country with Internet billionaires, acclaimed film directors, and N.B.A All-Stars—all under age forty—the sheer scale of his influence can be striking. And that may be part of his appeal: his political and cultural identity is so protean that it allows others to see in him what they choose to see, whether it exists or not. Yet he also possesses a powerful, unpredictable criticism. He is a man for his times.
Among the added features on the iPad edition, read translations of Han’s blog posts, produced by several of the valuable sites that analyze and interpret Han’s work as fast as he produces it.
Photograph by Matthew Niederhauser.
