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An invitation to write a commentary on Dr David Scharff's clinical narrative of his work with a Chinese couple in Beijing is a privilege, and I would like to begin by paying tribute to the pioneering work carried out by Scharff, his wife Dr Jill Savege Scharff, and colleagues at the International Psychotherapy Institute, Washington DC, in forging couple psychoanalytic links between China and the West. Through his writings, Scharff has also previously shared accounts of his work in China (D. E. Scharff, 2008; D. E. Scharff, 2014; D. E. Scharff, et al., 2011; D. E. Scharff 2011; D. E. Scharff, & Varvin, 2014; J. S. Scharff, & D. E. Scharff, 2011, 2015) as has Dr Jill Savege Scharff also (Shi & J. S. Scharff, 2011).
The Scharffs are not the first to take psychoanalysis to China. Freud's ideas reportedly reached China as early as (Varvin & Gerlach, 2011, p. 261), inspiring an interest among Chinese intellectuals. Freud's books were banned during the Cultural Revolution, but by the s, what Scharff terms “a psychodynamic culture” (2008, p. 297) was taking root. Psychoanalysts from Germany and Norway travelled to China to teach psychodynamic psychotherapy and the International Psychoanalytical Association (founded by Freud in ) has since established psychoanalytic trainings in Beijing and Shanghai (Varvin & Gerlach, 2011, p. 261). Over time, it seems, psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy have achieved “a level of acceptance in China” (Zhong, 2011, p. 218).
The psychoanalytic custom of publishing a commentary in response to a clinical narrative enriches us all. However, while affording the opportunity on both sides for considered thought, this format lacks the immediacy of a live discussion during which clarification can be sought and questions asked, and I am mindful of how much I cannot know and will not be able to grasp of the material generously presented here. Similarly, humility is required when working at the interface of two cultures, as Scharff recognises and ha