Chinese Nationalism

The rise of nationalism in China in recent decades, following the reform-era decline of Maoism as a source of legitimization for the Party-state, is a commonly cited narrative in both academic studies and media reports. Yet references to nationalism as a causal factor in Chinese politics and society leave unanswered the question of precisely what this concept of “nationalism” means. Examining the Chinese phrase for nationalism, minzu-zhuyi, composed of the concept minzu (nation, nationality, ethnicity) and the characters zhuyi or “-ism,” sheds light on the meaning of nationalism in this cultural and political context. We can see here four primary aspects of nationalism: (i) the national project, composed of delineating a geographical space labeled as China and building a Chinese state to rule over this geo-body; (ii) national identity, referring to the cultivation and contestation of a particular vision of the Chinese nation and a corresponding sense of “Chineseness”; (iii) nationalist sentiment, composed of antagonistic and even xenophobic and racist emotions toward other groups or nations and the corresponding affective investment in the idea of China; and (iv) relations between nationalities (i.e., ethnicities) and the place of minority nationalities within the Chinese nation-state. Yet these reflections on the multiple levels and meanings of nationalism in China open up as many questions as they answer. Is national identity a new or ancient phenomenon in China? Where does contemporary nationalist sentiment come from—the state, the public, intellectuals, globalization, or external provocations? Is nationalism inculcated in a top–down manner by the state, or is it growing from the bottom–up as a popular movement potentially opposed to the state, or both? How is nationalism manifested in thought and practice—a cornerstone of contemporary Chinese politics, a fleeting set of emotions activated occasionally by media incitement, or just one factor among many for understanding the dynamics of contemporary Chinese politics and society? What are its effects, and what are its implications for the future—hindering political change or integrating public opinion into state policy? and Leading toward more confident engagement with the world or toward growing conflict in East Asia? To begin to provide answers to these questions, the studies cited below view Chinese nationalism from a variety of historical, political, cultural, and ethnological perspectives, extending from the transition from empire to nation-state at the end of the Qing Dynasty to reform-era issues of identity, political contestation, popular culture, international relations, and ethnic relations within the Chinese nation-state.