ABSTRACT
In recent decades, anti-Japanese nationalism has grown into an important feature of Chinese popular discourse and at times caused serious strains in bilateral official relations (He, 2007). Scholars try to understand where Chinese negative feelings toward Japan came from and what they tell us about China's attitude to the outside world in general, especially now that China has become an increasingly significant player in international economy and politics. The central question we need to answer is: Why do the Chinese people hate Japan? One explanation that has been offered has to do with “ancient hatreds,” that is, nearly 50 years of traumatic conflicts, beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, in particular two outright wars in 1894–1895 and 1937–1945, sowed the seeds for long-term animosity between the two. Having suffered deep wounds in these wars, the Chinese nation remembers that history with acute pain and grievance and sees Japan as a country it could never love or trust.
