by Charles Lear
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