Yuanshi (原始)

Conceptions of otherness in China can also be approached through the way different peoples' social development and levels of “civility” are described. One term that often occurs in this regard in media shaping the HIV/AIDS narrative in China is yuanshi (原始). The Chinese Usage Dictionary defines yuanshi as either ‘original and ancient,’ or ‘primitive.’ ¹ However, yuanshi carries different, and far more nuanced, connotations in contemporary language and within the HIV/AIDS narrative. As was the case with hei, these subtleties of meaning have yet to be contemplated by dictionaries or even – to the best of my knowledge – examined in academic studies, unlike similarly nuanced terms such as suzhi (素质 intellectual quality), tizhi (体质 physical quality), and wenming (文明 civility), which have recently received considerable attention within Asian studies and anthropology. ² My analysis of the use of the term yuanshi in the general media, and especially in the narrative on Africa, Africans, and HIV/AIDS, has led me to conclude that its usage often carries distinctly racial connotations. ³ These uses and associations hold valuable clues to understanding how knowledge of Africa and Africans is produced and reinforced in the media, and how both come to appear as being “naturally” connected to disease, particularly to HIV.