Introduction
After an exercise of self-expression in pairs, instructor Jiang, a 55-year-old psychologist, clarified its purpose. The participants had to repeatedly ask each other “Who are you?” and then respond by acknowledging and peeling off “superficial” labels such as employment, family status, hometown, and age, until they would recognise their supposed profound immaterial and subjective dimension. This was a Saturday workshop in the city of Jinan at a psychological centre for counsellors and aficionados, many of whom were versed in such drills. Jiang stated that only by addressing their capacities and desires beyond social roles and obligations would the participants find the path to happiness (xingfu 幸福). This message resonated with the participants, as they elaborated in the subsequent class discussion. It was commonsensical for participants that xingfu – the common term for deep and enduring happiness – is the framework for self-perception and evaluation; at the same time, t...
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