ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that transformational citizenship is deeply rooted in traditional Confucian political thinking. It traces how transformational citizenship exemplified by suzhi is deeply rooted in the age-old legacy of Confucian political thinking. The book discusses how the Confucian ways of thinking about governance shape transformational citizenship in modern times. It analyses how the culturally rooted governing mechanism of transformational citizenship manifests itself in different ways in modern and contemporary China through civilizing processes. The book focuses on the manufacturing of the concept and knowledge of suzhi in academic discourse. It provides the stages of development of suzhi in academic discourse mirror how suzhi has been articulated in political discourse. The book examines the complex relationship between politics and the seemingly 'depoliticised' civilising projects in post-Mao China.
