Discovering Chinese Nationalism in China: Modernization, Identity, and International Relations

Description

This book explores the revival of Chinese nationalism in the 1990s, and analyses the ways in which the West deals with this phenomenon. Yongnian Zheng discusses the complicated nature of China's new nationalism and presents the reader with a very different picture to that portrayed in Western readings of Chinese nationalism. He argues that China's new nationalism has been a reaction to changes in the country's international circumstances and can be regarded as a 'voice' over the existing unjustified international order. Zheng shows that the present Chinese leadership is pursuing strategies not to isolate China, but to integrate it into the international community. Based on the author's extensive research in China, the book provides a set of provocative arguments against prevailing Western attitudes to and perceptions of China's nationalism.

'In this well-researched book, author Zheng Yongnian has reconstructed the ideological complex, based on seemingly-unrelated documents by other scholars, to provide a plausible explanation for the Chinese psyche that has been conundrum for China-watchers ... Zheng ... sounds a timely warning when he says 'many Chinese now believe that the West does not want to see China develop and will use all possible means to contain it." The Sunday Times, Singapore 'The particular strength of the book lies in the fact that the author makes extensive use of a variety of original Chinese source material from official and semi-official publications. In contrast to the prevalent and dominant Western discourse on Chinese nationalism, the author provides some insightful, more sympathetic discussions on Chinese nationalism from the view of an 'insider'.' Journal of Asian Studies 'This is an essential text to consider for anyone studying Chinese nationalism or China and the world.' Journal of Nationalism and Ethnic Politics