Chinese nationalism reconsidered—or, a case for historicizing the study of Chinese politics

A pervasive narrative for the years from the First Opium War (1839–1842) and the mid-twentieth century is that it marks China's “Century of National Humiliation” by external powers. According to this view, military defeat, foreign economic and political domination, and domestic upheaval characterized this period. What follows is that China emerged from this dishonor with victory over Japan during World War II and the Communist Revolution. This position suggests that the Chinese experience of success rests on persistently struggling for political unity and national interest even against the greatest of odds. ¹ An obvious implication of this understanding is that the Chinese people and state should assert what is, in their view, “right.”