AudioBlog: UFOlogy in China

UFOlogy in China is deeply interwoven with China’s politics. In
1978, China began what is known as “the reform,” which involved
China opening up its economy to the West and the lifting of many
restrictions. According to the article by Malcolm
Thompson, “On UFOlogy With Chinese Characteristics and the Fate of
Chinese Socialism,” in the May-August 2020 edition of the online
journal Made in China, “there was no public UFOlogy in
China before the reform period, and Chinese UFOlogy and the reform
period began at almost exactly the same time.” According to
Thompson, the China UFO Enthusiasts Liaison Office was set up at
Wuhan University on September 20, 1979. This became the China UFO
Research Association by May 1980 and by the mid-1980s, there were
over 40 branch organizations with thousands of members all over the
country. As the reform developed and the state’s limits of
tolerance were tested, the state approved approach to UFOlogy
became science based and strictly non-paranormal. With this
limitation in mind, UFOlogists are not only free to investigate but
often do so with the government’s help. Read more