Chimerica Essay Questions

What is the significance of the title Chimerica?

Chimerica is a portmanteau of the names "China" and "America," coined by Niall Ferguson and Moritz Schularick in 2006. The term describes the "symbiotic" nature of Chinese and American economics and politics, as, in simple terms, the United States owes trillions of dollars worth of debt to China, and China courts American investments. Thus, despite antagonistic diplomatic relations, the two nations are inexplicably linked to the point that Niall Ferguson argues China and America share "one economy."

Chimerica also sounds like the word "chimera," a creature from Greek mythology that combines traits from several animals. "Chimera" implies a threatening beast whose component parts cannot be separated, just as China and America are inextricably linked global superpowers.

The play Chimerica explores how China and America's symbiotic economy impacts average citizens, particularly those involved in journalism. The clearest example of this comes when Frank censors Joe's Tank Man follow-up, as the newspaper's parent company is unwilling to publish controversial content while expanding into the Chinese market.

Who is the "Unknown Hero" in Chimerica, and what does his identity say about heroism?

Throughout the play, Joe searches for the Tank Man, the anonymous figure who stood alone before a line of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Joe, who captured the iconic image, believes the Tank Man is a "brave, noble, persecuted" hero who symbolizes defiance. Joe assumes a memorial to the "Unknown Hero" of the Tiananmen Square massacre must refer to the Tank Man and confronts the man behind the ad, Wang Pengsi.

To Joe's surprise and outrage, the "Unknown Hero," Wang Pengfei, drove the tank that the Tank Man confronted. Wang Pengsi asserts that Pengfei, who was executed, demonstrated great bravery by refusing to follow orders and kill the Tank Man. As Lucy Kirkwood's work asserts, the Tank Man photograph is fundamentally "a photograph of one country by another country." Joe, trained to think of the Chinese military as exclusively cruel and villainous through his culture and experiences, cannot understand Pengsi's insistence that the "Unknown Hero" can be "on the side of the Party" and a hero.

What does Chimerica say about the role of photography in the digital age?

When he captures the Tank Man photograph at age nineteen, Joe Schoefield believes in the power of photography to affect social change. He recognizes that the Vietnam War was fought in ordinary Americans' "living rooms" because "technicolor" images of human suffering shocked them into empathy.

In the digital age, however, people worldwide are exposed to shocking visual images daily, whether posted on social media, reported by news outlets, or simply through horror films and violent media. As Joe, and ultimately the play, argue, the oversaturation of shocking images leaves the average person desensitized to horror. This belief is particularly evident when Joe sells his protest photographs at a gallery show to an admiring, not horrified, crowd.

However, the play also affirms that photography still has the power to change a person's worldview. After deeply contemplating the Tank Man image, Tess understands the devastating consequences of rapid economic development and her complicity in it. She abandons her sales pitch and eventually participates in anti-capitalist protests. Thus, in Tess's narrative arc, photography and storytelling combine to enact positive change.

Examine the ethical dilemmas Joe faces while investigating the Tank Man.

While attempting to uncover the Tank Man's identity, Joe crosses several ethical and legal lines, believing the positive impact of his work will justify his means. First, Joe is discouraged from pursuing the story and directed to cover political news instead. He attempts to do both, neglecting his friendship with Zhang Lin in the process. Joe has to bribe his sources, such as Mary Chang and Feng Meihui, into giving him information.

Joe's investigation derails when he blackmails Senator Maria Dubiecki into giving him protected donor information. He even resorts to petty pranks, like sending his editor a rotting fish when his story is censored. Using this information, he accosts Wang Pengsi, who already rejected Joe's interview attempts. During their argument, Joe physically assaults Pengsi, who calls the police and is likely deported. Thus, in his attempt to write a story on heroism, Joe himself becomes villainous.

Compare the portrayals of American and Chinese moral hypocrisy in Chimerica.

Chimerica explores the moral hypocrisy within American society, particularly in the context of politics and capitalism. As characters like Frank, Mel, and Joe demonstrate, there is dissonance between the American ideals of democracy, freedom, human rights, and actions taken to pursue economic interests. For example, Frank waxes poetic about American commitment to free speech yet caves to corporate pressure and censors Joe's Tank Man story.

Chimerica also criticizes Chinese moral hypocrisy. For example, characters like Ming Xiaoli praise the Party's commitment to collective action that benefits the Chinese public. However, as Ming Xiaoli's illness demonstrates, Party officials are unwilling to take accountability for the consequences of rapid economic advancement, such as pollution and the suppression of protestors in 1989.