China has been putting tremendous efforts into hosting various international sports events. These include Beijing's ongoing bid for the 2008 Olympic Games and Hong Kong's failed attempt to host the 2006 Asian Games. There has been friction between Chinese soccer star Yang Chen (楊晨), who plays in Germany, and his Western coach. Chat rooms have popped up on the Internet discussing how "the Chinese people would not tolerate bullies." Behind these apparently unrelated events is a new wave of Chinese nationalism.
Along with economic growth, China's social structures have been manifesting subtle changes. The formation of social classes, for example, is speeding up. Consumer buying power is rising dramatically, along with the emergence of a metropolitan middle class. Advertisements drumming up middle-class life makes one feel as if one is living in a developed country. More importantly, China's society is currently filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, which helps people ignore the widening gaps between rich and poor, cities and villages and may also breed a new kind of nationalistic sentiment.
After China introduced economic liberalization and reforms, a form of Chinese nationalism took shape amid the public ignorance about -- and hostility toward -- the Western world. One typical example of such nationalism was the row stirred up in the 1980s by the Hollywood movie Taipan (大班), in which Chinese actress Joan Chen (陳沖) played the role of a prostitute and appeared nude in some scenes. China's gradual economic development and dramatic changes in global politics -- including the collapse of the Soviet Union -- was followed by another turning point for Chinese nationalism, best exemplified by the success of the book China Can Say No (中國可以說不) and the student demonstrations in the wake of the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
Today, the official thinking is that China is strong enough to be treated on a par with major global powers and to participate in policymaking on international affairs.
In the past, Chinese nationalism was built on the basis of direct animosity toward the West. In contrast, today's nationalism features a more open attitude toward the West and a hope to be on a par with world powers. China must break free from being looked down upon; China must stand up. Such nationalism manifests in the form of continuously seeking to host major international events and trying to attract international attention in order to fulfill the need for dignity, which in turn is the result of a long-term inferiority complex. This kind of nationalism is still strongly exclusive.
Nationalism has been the most importance cornerstone for China's unity in the face of widening gaps between rich and poor, urban and rural. What factors can help ease the exclusivity of this nationalism? Perhaps the middle class may serve as a lubricant in this regard. In the 1970s, Western scholars often compared Asia's "Four Dragons" to Latin American countries in terms of political and economic development. The middle class played a positive role in the democratization of Taiwan and South Korea. Renowned US political scientist Samuel Huntington has listed both Taiwan and South Korea as part of the third wave of democracy. In contrast, the middle class has not had any significant influence in a country like Brazil, due to the huge gap between the haves and the have nots. The middle class there has been little more than a metropolitan elite. Whether China's middle class will go the way of Taiwan and South Korea or follow in the footsteps of Brazil remains to be seen.
Hsu Tung-ming is a freelance writer based in Beijing.
Translated by Francis Huang.
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) has long wielded influence through the power of words. Her articles once served as a moral compass for a society in transition. However, as her April 1 guest article in the New York Times, “The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan,” makes all too clear, even celebrated prose can mislead when romanticism clouds political judgement. Lung crafts a narrative that is less an analysis of Taiwan’s geopolitical reality than an exercise in wistful nostalgia. As political scientists and international relations academics, we believe it is crucial to correct the misconceptions embedded in her article,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
RSS