《苏北人在上海》：溯源被构建的族群记忆Subei People in Shanghai: Tracing a Constructed Ethnic Memory

Recently, "Subei people" has quietly made its way into all kinds of popular culture as a trending meme, leading many people to notice again this gradually forgotten group label and the stories behind it. In this session we will start from the book Creating Chinese Ethnicity: Subei People in Shanghai and focus on the distinctive group of Subei people in Shanghai, tracing their ethnic memory, their search for cultural roots, and the great social changes they have lived through over the past century. From the rise and fall of the Grand Canal to the rapid rise of modern Shanghai, from discrimination rooted in economic and cultural differences to integration and transformation in the embrace of the city, we will take apart the constructed concept of "Subei people" and explore what it meant for its times. This is not only a reflection on regional identity, but also a window onto migration and cultural collision in the urbanisation of modern China. 1. Defining Subei: in terms of territory, dialect and cultural identity, what exactly does "Subei" cover? How has the concept changed over time? 2. Why "Subei"? What is special about the region's culture, history, geography and waterways? 3. Why did "Subei people" become a prejudiced label in the context of the Shanghai dialect? Why do people from Subei only realise they are "Subei people" once they are in Shanghai? 4. From drifting on maomao boats and hardship in "rolling-dragon" straw huts to the stability of the workers' new villages, what path of social advancement is reflected in the changing homes of Subei migrants in Shanghai? 5. Beyond the jokes, how should we face and resolve this inherited question of group identity?