As the Chinese understanding of America’s internal diversity and complexities deepens, there is growing awareness of the American rust belt. Having lived and taught in this region, I have gained a certain familiarity with local customs, social attitudes and mindsets. Understanding the American interior, rather than focusing solely on major coastal cities with significant Chinese populations, is indeed key to gaining a nuanced understanding of the US.
Since Donald Trump was re-elected as president, the vast American interior, rural areas and the question of “What is the real America?” have once again become focal points of Chinese attention.
Decline of the American rust belt and China
The rust belt primarily refers to the traditional industrial region in the northern US surrounding the Great Lakes and spanning multiple states. Historically, this area was vital to the US economy, thanks to its coal resources, oil reserves, steel industry, automobile manufacturing and interconnected infrastructure such as lake-based shipping, canals linking different states, railways and the interstate highways that were built after World War II.
However, due to the US government’s deindustrialisation policies, the globalisation of industry and the rise of new sectors like electronics and information technology, this region — like many traditional industrial zones — began to experience population loss, economic decline and urban decay as early as the 1980s.
… when the rust belt began its decline in the early 1980s, China was only at the beginning of its reform and opening up period.
This decline can be attributed to long-term economic trends spanning decades, involving industrial upgrades, outsourcing, shifts in domestic economic geography, climate change and lifestyle shifts. It has little to do with the rhetoric of certain US politicians claiming that “China stole our jobs”.
In fact, when the rust belt began its decline in the early 1980s, China was only at the beginning of its reform and opening up period. Early foreign investments in China came from Hong Kong and Southeast Asian Chinese capital.
A different mindset towards China and the Chinese
What concerns me more, however, are the psychological imbalances and distorted worldviews caused by the rust belt’s decline, as well as the deeper cultural issues behind them.
In my teaching experience, I have noticed significant differences among white American students. Generally, students from coastal metropolitan areas are more interested in Asian cultures and Chinese history and tend to have a more empathetic and respectful attitude toward China and East Asia. In contrast, some students from rust belt towns are more likely to resist and dislike topics related to China, likely influenced by their families, the media and the insular, outdated culture of their hometowns.
Students with negative attitudes toward China often share certain traits. For example, in one of my 2024 spring semester classes, a student from Cincinnati, Ohio (part of the rust belt), insisted that “China stole our jobs” and repeatedly implied that he was a “victim” of China. However, this student, apart from enthusiastically arguing his point, refused to complete any other assignments and ultimately failed the course despite repeated warnings.
One student said before taking the class that she thought China was a very poor country. Another student from a rust belt town bluntly stated in his Modern East Asian History paper of Fall 2024 that he disliked China, associating it only with “communism” and “human rights”. At the same time, he professed admiration for Japan but could only list the names of a few popular Japanese dramas, knowing nothing else about the country.
American research and objective observations have acknowledged that issues such as alcoholism, drug addiction, unstable marriages and severe mental health problems are commonplace in these communities.
Students from the rust belt, and by extension, the communities where they came from, tend to hold feelings of “fear” and “anxiety” toward China which may help them achieve a false sense of self-comfort. This psychological state, characterised by fear, anxiety, blame and hostility toward another country, is regrettable yet has become commonplace in rust belt life.
Who abandoned the rust belt?
American research and objective observations have acknowledged that issues such as alcoholism, drug addiction, unstable marriages and severe mental health problems are commonplace in these communities.
Based on my years of observation and experience, I think the extremes in American culture — such as indulgence, hedonism, and despair — play a significant role. However, a tendency in American culture to overlook introspection can hinder self-reflection. This makes it easier for politicians to channel public frustrations outward, often towards “illegal immigrants” or other countries.
I once discussed this issue with a renowned Canadian scholar in international political economy, who argued that America’s less comprehensive welfare system compared to Canada’s is a major source of psychological pressure for rust belt residents.
In the 20th century, Western society progressed from abandoning and despising the weak to providing institutional safety nets. But when rust belt white males realised they were no longer a dominant group in a globalised, diverse world, the psychological blow was immense — especially when their welfare systems lagged behind those in countries like Canada.
At an Asian studies conference in 2024, when I mentioned the widespread “fear” of China among Americans, a US scholar explained that it stemmed from traumatic memories of the Vietnam War and the war on terror.
Yet rust belt residents fully bought into this promise, leading to a strong dependence on “big corporations” for well-paying jobs, without recognising that these were the same corporations that have abandoned them since the 1980s.
However, I was not convinced. I would counter that far more nations have experienced war trauma than the US and China lost 20 million lives in the second Sino-Japanese War alone. Furthermore, wars like the Vietnam War and the war on terror were fought abroad, not on American soil. Shouldn’t the civilians in those war-torn nations feel more deeply traumatised than rust belt white Americans?
The so-called “American dream”, where a blue-collar worker could support an entire family with a middle-class lifestyle, was nothing but a Cold War-era illusion, fragile in the face of economic recession, financial crises, inflation, unemployment and structural shifts in global and domestic economies. Yet rust belt residents fully bought into this promise, leading to a strong dependence on “big corporations” for well-paying jobs, without recognising that these were the same corporations that have abandoned them since the 1980s.
Failure to adapt and upgrade
This dependence on corporate capitalism is ironic when compared to workers’ loathing of “big government”. When combined with a lack of entrepreneurial drive in contemporary American culture, rust belt whites are left feeling powerless.
In contrast, after undergoing the painful process of industrial transformation, people in mainland China and Taiwan have repurposed abandoned factories into creative cultural centres, sports facilities, commercial hubs or museums. Unemployed individuals have actively sought self-reliance by opening restaurants, driving for rideshare companies, running online businesses or engaging in livestreaming.
Facing a spiritual dilemma, some Americans increasingly look to institutional solutions, such as government efforts to bring back manufacturing jobs or address immigration issues. This reliance on “big government” may contrast with the spirit of “individualism” that is often valued in American culture.
Meanwhile, many rust belt residents have struggled to adapt to service sector demands or repurpose abandoned factory spaces. Some turn to alcohol and drugs and express their frustrations outward, placing their hopes on a president to improve their circumstances.
Some time ago, a seemingly patriotic plumber I hired overcharged us, did subpar work and was rather dismissive. This experience highlighted some of the challenges facing working class tradespeople in America’s interior, and offered a glimpse into why some factories struggle to find workers.
American-style passivity and lethargy?
In such a context, US elections often involve many passive, helpless yet proud Americans placing their hopes and dependencies on presidential candidates. I think modern American systems and culture have contributed to a sense of inertia and dependence, particularly among rust belt residents.
If Amercans still experience fear and anxiety, despite having the security that their geographic provides, this may be due to factors like spiritual or intellectual dissatisfaction, or a sense of complacency. Furthermore, certain cultural tendencies, including a lack of introspection and anti-intellectualism, could hinder self-reflection and critical analysis of personal or societal shortcomings.
Facing a spiritual dilemma, some Americans increasingly look to institutional solutions, such as government efforts to bring back manufacturing jobs or address immigration issues. This reliance on “big government” may contrast with the spirit of “individualism” that is often valued in American culture.
It appears that some Americans are becoming less open to new ideas, more influenced by media and political narratives, and less motivated. This value system, if left unchecked, could negatively impact the next generation, whose worldview might diverge significantly from the openness and freedom often associated with America. Indeed, I often observe this tendency in my daily interactions.
Related: Grievances against Chinese manufacturing has no place in today’s America | Globalisation and the American blue-collar workers who voted for Trump
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