ABSTRACT
Chinese identity seems self-evident at first glance. Yet the meaning and essence associated with Chinese identity has varied in different eras and is interpreted differently by diverse stakeholders. This chapter explores one major component found within the Chinese and Hong Kong governments’ current approach to understanding Chinese identity. This chapter describes it as ethnic essentialism, which refers to the understanding that Chinese identity has a permanent and unalterable ethnic essence. This chapter starts by introducing the historical origin of ethnic essentialism within Chinese contexts. This chapter then explores the more recent development of it in Mainland China and Hong Kong and how it is reflected in government documents and in textbooks. After that, this chapter explores ethnic essentialism and its limitations as seen globally to encourage readers to think about the Chinese cases within the global context. Finally, this chapter discusses the insights and limitations of ethnic essentialism in the Chinese context.
