national identity

The Myths That Bind Beijing and Washington

At The Globe and Mail, Andrew Steele argues that the national identities of China and the USA are underpinned by complex—and similar—mythologies: According to the official history, China is the world’s oldest...

Ian Buruma: Battling the Information Barbarians

In the Wall Street Journal, Ian Buruma writes about Google vs. China and the history of information control in China: Thought control, in terms of imposing an official orthodoxy, is a very old tradition. The official glue that...

Martin Jacques: A New Sun Rises in the East

Martin Jacques writes in the New Statesman: Apart from its extraordinary longevity and bursts of efflorescent invention, the most striking feature of Chinese history is the fact that while Europe, following the fall of the Roman...

Chang Ping: Truths And Illusions About Self-Identity

From EastSouthWestNorth blog, translated by Roland Soong: The nationalist feelings that have been rising and falling in recent years reflect the anxiety of the Chinese people over their self-identity. Our anxiety is causing the...

China 2008: Nationalism, Internet Culture, and Identity

This is a continuation of the series on CDT relating to relevant China issues in 2008. This article deals with Chinese Nationalism and Internet Culture. Please see also previous posts on the Developing World. Chinese nationalism...

HK Row Sparks Patriotism Debate

From BBC News: Over coffee, a woman explained to her friend that her husband spent every summer in Canada, where they had a house, while her daughter was in Australia at university. She kept the apartment in Hong Kong, where her...

Designer Tang Pushes Fashion in China – Sylvia Hui

From AP, via Baynews9.com: David Tang is famous for founding the Shanghai Tang label that put Mandarin-collared shirts, cheongsam dresses and other Chinese-style fashion on boutique shelves from New York to Paris.But one of his big regrets, he says, is that the clothes aren’t more popular in China. The 52-year-old Hong Kong fashion mogul was […]

A new breed of migrants fans out – Bertil Lintner

Asia Times reports on the “Third Wave” of external migration from China into Southeast Asia: Northern Thailand is only one of their destinations. Large numbers of Chinese are also moving into northern Myanmar, northern Laos, Cambodia and further abroad – including the Pacific islands, Australia, the United States, the Russian Far East and Japan. More […]

Letter from China: Beijing’s growing urge to dominate the media – Howard W. French

From the New York Times, via Howard French’s Glimpse of the World blog: The question seemed innocuous enough when it appeared in an online poll this month on the popular Chinese Internet portal Netease: Would you like to be Chinese in the next life? It is the answer that proved dangerous. Sixty-four percent of respondents […]

Online survey axed after most reject Chinese identity – Jonathan Watts

From The Guardian: Chinese authorities have shut down an online survey that found most respondents would prefer a different nationality if they were born again. According to the South China Morning Post, two editors of the host website, NetEase, have also been fired in the past few days, prompting speculation that they have been punished […]

The Confucian Party of China – C. Raja Mohan

From the Indian Express: The Communist Party of China appears to have taken a considered political decision to restore Confucius to his traditional place of pride at the centre of Chinese worldview. As it copes with growing economic inequalities and social tensions, the CPC believes Confucius might offer the right social and political medicine. The […]

CEN: Study of national culture catches on in China

From China Economic Net: Discussion as how to promote Guoxue, or the study of traditional Chinese philosophy, literature and history has become heated again in China, following the recent announcement by the Beijing- based Renmin University of the upcoming September opening of its College of National Culture Study, the first such college in China since […]

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