Emotional Labor: Life Inside a Chinese Orphanage

In his new book “Ambivalent Love,”Qian Linliang, an associate professor of anthropology at China’s Southwest University, shares his findings from extensive field research at an orphanage in the eastern Zhejiang province, which he identifies as Yongjiang Orphanage, a false name to protect the privacy of his interviewees. In addition to the complexities of managing an orphanage, Qian explores how children in care develop self-awareness and an understanding of society. The following are excerpts from two chapters in the book.

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