Thank you for another thoughtful and well crafted article.
It has long been observed that China's pride in its glorious historical achievements is matched only by its shame in its inglorious defeats in modern history, like the Opium wars and Boxer rebellions you mention.
This unstable superiority/inferiority complex often results in hyper defensiveness and what the Taiwanese like to call a fragile "glass heart".
I recall watching a Chinese movie about the Opium Wars as an East Asian grad student at McGill University in Montreal in the early 1990s; the audience was mostly (Mainland) Chinese and I will never forget the scene when the Chinese navy defeated the British navy: the audience responded with an uproarious round of cheers and applause. I was not expecting this, and for the first time in my life I unexpectedly became the minority, a resented minority. I think I shrunk about 2 inches in my seat.
The CCP have for decades used nationalism as the only viable replacement for the now defunct communism as a legimating strategy for the authoritarian regime. But you are right to point out, they can never seem to get the "temperature quite right". That is the danger with nationalism .... it is a pandora's box that takes a life if its own when released.
If the west would just let China rise peacefully, free from foreign domination politically and economically, there's no need to fear of Chinese nationalism. But the fact is that today's western powers exceptionalism necessitate China to remind its youth of its past history. Sad that so many (nations, people around the world ) have been used to being dictated by those powers. The Chinese people always work hard, they deserve to have control of its destiny, equal rights among all nations. This ganging up against the Chinese is really dispicable and petty minded.
How could Taiwan be better under Trump or under Biden. Are they managing your country. It's you people who make your country good or bad not any others. Be sensible. As if the USA would really care for your country. Wake up! Have shame!
Thank you for another thoughtful and well crafted article.
It has long been observed that China's pride in its glorious historical achievements is matched only by its shame in its inglorious defeats in modern history, like the Opium wars and Boxer rebellions you mention.
This unstable superiority/inferiority complex often results in hyper defensiveness and what the Taiwanese like to call a fragile "glass heart".
I recall watching a Chinese movie about the Opium Wars as an East Asian grad student at McGill University in Montreal in the early 1990s; the audience was mostly (Mainland) Chinese and I will never forget the scene when the Chinese navy defeated the British navy: the audience responded with an uproarious round of cheers and applause. I was not expecting this, and for the first time in my life I unexpectedly became the minority, a resented minority. I think I shrunk about 2 inches in my seat.
The CCP have for decades used nationalism as the only viable replacement for the now defunct communism as a legimating strategy for the authoritarian regime. But you are right to point out, they can never seem to get the "temperature quite right". That is the danger with nationalism .... it is a pandora's box that takes a life if its own when released.
If the west would just let China rise peacefully, free from foreign domination politically and economically, there's no need to fear of Chinese nationalism. But the fact is that today's western powers exceptionalism necessitate China to remind its youth of its past history. Sad that so many (nations, people around the world ) have been used to being dictated by those powers. The Chinese people always work hard, they deserve to have control of its destiny, equal rights among all nations. This ganging up against the Chinese is really dispicable and petty minded.
How could Taiwan be better under Trump or under Biden. Are they managing your country. It's you people who make your country good or bad not any others. Be sensible. As if the USA would really care for your country. Wake up! Have shame!