The Dao of Happiness in Contemporary China: On the Encompassing Meanings and Affects of "Xingfu".

HIZI, GIL

The notion of happiness has been extended in recent decades from a quality of well-being to a value-laden concept employed in political campaigns, development plans, commercial advertising, and transnational psychology. In China, the term xingfu has extended through this tendency, articulated as an equivalent of deep-seated individualised "happiness," while also carrying elements of livelihood and social welfare. Drawing on fieldwork in psychological workshops and diverse academic and political texts, this article conceptualises the semiotic and communicative attributes of xingfu in Chinese society today. I define xingfu as a contemporary dao, in the sense that it emerges as a consensual priority that alludes to seeming universal humanity, which may be employed to validate other political agendas, while it also activates diverse interactions and imaginaries that extend beyond preexisting or fixed priorities.

CHINA; HAPPINESS; POLITICAL campaigns; POLITICAL agenda; POSITIVE psychology

China Perspectives, 2024, Issue 139, p81

2070-3449

Academic Journal

10.4000/130gv