Pro-China political parties often use the term “desinicization” to attack pro-Taiwan localization efforts.
Every time I see this issue being politicized, it stirs up all kinds of conflicts in my mind.
What is “desinicization”?
I have a doctorate in Chinese literature and I teach Chinese, but even I have no idea how this term should be interpreted.
If Confucianism is regarded as representative of Chinese thought, it has to be said that there are several Confucian ideas that are contrary to modern democratic values — freedom, culture and human rights — and are worthy of further reflection.
First, when praising the contribution of Guan Zhong (管仲), an important prime minister in ancient China, where the Chinese saw non-Chinese beyond their borders as the uncivilized “other,” Confucius said: “If it were not for Guan Zhong, it would have been us that were the barbarians, who wear their hair unbound, with the lappets of our coats buttoned on the left side.”
Apparently Confucius took wearing the hair unbound and buttoning the coat lappets on the left side as part of barbarian culture and treated the traits with contempt.
Even though unbound hair and left-side buttoning were different from mainstream Central Plains culture in ancient China, this does not mean that it was inferior. People in some regions of India eat with their hands. This is their culture, but we will not say it is a savage and inferior one.
Second, the concept of grand unification does exist in Confucianism.
For example, Confucian philosopher Mencius said: “There is nothing under Heaven that is not the territory of the sovereign.”
This idea alone gave Han and Tang dynasty emperors all the justification they needed for territorial expansion and aggression beyond their borders.
What is the difference between this idea and modern imperialism? And is China’s 2005 “Anti-Secession” Law not the recurrence of this imperialist ghost? Not to mention that this idea goes against the stream of national self-determination and independence in the modern era.
Third, in imperial China, Qin Shihuangdi’s [秦始皇帝, the first emperor of China] policy of standardizing weights and measures and the writing system throughout his then-newly unified empire was indeed a major contribution to the nation; it was actually the realization of a Confucian ideal.
However, in contrast, the more modernized and democratic a nation is today, the more it values ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity. It does not worry that diversity will affect or threaten the government.
Only communist nations need to take advantage of this idea to defend their own regime.
No matter how much Taiwan “desinicizes” itself, Taiwanese still speak and write in Chinese and still have a Chinese spirit to the core.
However, if the meaning of “desinicization” is to remove the anachronisms of Chinese thought and culture, then why is it not appropriate?
Luo Zi-zhi has a doctorate in Chinese literature and is a university professor.
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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