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Just having a thought that for some in Gen Z who take an interest in China, depending on one's field of study, it'll be more like it was with the Soviet Union and many Kremlinologists – they may never set foot there.
I suppose this is also an exhortation then that especially as time goes on in the field (and as one always should), be careful to critique people's work, not their background.
It's of course fine to challenge assertions controverted by facts on the ground. But as China becomes more insular, there is going to be a lot of good work being done by people who will never set foot there again – or ever.
There are also plenty of people with bad takes who've spent plenty of time there, so making extensive in-country experience a gatekeeper oddly lends legitimacy to those who don't deserve it.
And for many others, it's frankly becoming dangerous to go, and it takes a smidge of privilege to suggest that people subject themselves to potential detention, questioning, etc. especially those with their own families and kids.
Also, are we really going to discount a legit view because someone can't physically manage the travel? China is impassable for anyone with mobility issues outside of a few major cities. And many left, or decided not to spend a lot of time there, precisely because of their health.
Bottom line... the field is changing, and I think there's going to be a huge need for the passage of knowledge in academia and an increasing understanding that new entrants in the field are going to be coming about their studies in a completely new way.
