Jia’s work The Chinese Version adresses the simplification of Chinese characters imposed by the Communist Party in the 1950s, which she considers the most far-reaching destruction of the Chinese language ever to occur.
A Cultural atrocity might not be just the systematic destruction of cultural heritage by Isis; according to Jia ‘ s The Chinese Version, currently on view at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe as part of the exhibition Infosphere, the simplification program, which targeted the more than 3.300 years old Chinese writing system (began in the 1950s and still remains by force of law) in the People’s Republic of China is a more ambitious cultural atrocity than the one committed by Isis.