ABSTRACT
By transforming Marxism into a developmental nationalist ideology, Deng Xiaoping provided the theoretical rationale for the much-needed reforms to resuscitate the moribund Chinese economy. Although the Tiananmen incident was the catalyst, Beijing's turn to patriotic nationalism had deeper roots and can be better understood in the larger context of the Communist Party's need to relegitimate its rule. Contemporary Chinese patriotic nationalism is a volatile mix of potentially troublesome attributes that social scientists have identified to have a high propensity toward aggression. Deng's reforms transformed the economy. An account of contemporary Chinese patriotic nationalism may begin with its conception of what constitutes the Chinese nation. Western scholars of nationalism have observed that nations defined by the primordial law of blood are more disposed to be aggressive and intolerant toward outsiders. Aside from an ethnic conception of nationhood, another attribute of contemporary Chinese patriotic nationalism is its reactive character.
