ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the response of Chinese mainlanders to the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong as an example of how patriotism is invoked, in the face of threats of regional disintegration, to promote national unity. The author provides an intimate report of the concerns, anxieties, and bewilderment associated with patriotic sentiments that were being expressed in Nanchong City, Sichuan, in 2014. The chapter reveals that a plurality of factors and complicated feelings inspire patriotic proclamations and popular nationalism. It also becomes clear from the analysis that mass sentiments were being heavily shaped by social discourse promulgated in public media. Public opinions were orchestrated by the state. But people are not passive receivers of official messages and simply accede to what is promoted. They are active social agents who create their own discourse despite in a controlled communication environment.
