Root causes of Chinese chauvinism and toxic nationalism

After reading this letter, I was compelled to initiate this thread as an exercise for self-reflection for our expat or overseas Chinese members. Here is the letter:
https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/dl207g
Tell us, how many times have you called an ethnic Chinese a banana? What made you do it and how did you feel about it? Do you think that was racist?

Some examples of toxic nationalism that many will find familiar:

More in depth analysis to follow in subsequent posts.

This article was a good read on the root causes of Chinese hypernationalism. To quote the conclusion:

Unlike China, Japan achieved political modernization. The Chinese political system is still primitive and imperial. Because discussing the political system is not permitted, discussion focuses on culture, ancient and modern, which then contributes to the deepening of primordialism. Primordialism has become pervasive and it will be impossible to reverse without risking the viability of the political system and the state itself. Questioning the political system is the same as questioning China itself. Some do, but they pay a heavy price. Emphasis on primordial nationalism tends to explain international relations though a second-image explanation or though domestic politics of mythological victimization and suffering.

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Article link:

A few other memorable pieces, that characterize well the expressions of many of our fellow Chinese members on this forum:

Chinese nationalism is fueled by created images of national humiliation and chauvinistic pride in China’s glorious past in which it still suffered at the hands of foreigners. The most important word in this process is not China, which does not even exist in the vocabulary, but aiguo, which is the heart of territorial sovereignty, party dominance, and political monopoly.

The irony is that the people, the Han people, based on the success of patriotic education and the media, have become more patriotic than the CCP itself. Instead of worrying that the CCP will be able to mobilize the people on vital national interests like that of Tibet or the South Sea, one should worry about the people themselves, the Han Chinese, now predominantly living in some 36% of the country’s territory, compelling the CCP to take a stand against foreign and domestic usurpations.

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Patriotic education, therefore, is centered on creating a patriotic aiguo sentiment and promoting aiguo zhui (patriotism) or loving and supporting Greater China, which is indistinguishable from the state and the CCP. Schoolchildren learn not about human history in general, but “about treaty ports and concessions (foreign governed areas of Chinese cities), foreign leaseholds and spheres of interest, extraterritoriality, by which foreigners in China charged with crimes were judged under foreign laws by foreign judges”. It is this historical subjectivity that leads to an inferiority complex that fuels the desire for territorial and economic greatness or the return to the glorious past.

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nlalyst said:

After reading this letter, I was compelled to initiate this thread as an exercise for self-reflection for our expat or overseas Chinese members. Here is the letter:
https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/dl207g
Tell us, how many times have you called an ethnic Chinese a banana? What made you do it and how did you feel about it? Do you think that was racist?

Some examples of toxic nationalism that many will find familiar:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

More in depth analysis to follow in subsequent posts.

Click to expand...

Nationalism is a toxic attitude, no matter who it's from. No country or nation is inherently "better" than one another; people who have this mindset, including some on this forum, need to tone it down and stop.

Just as there is no American exceptionalism, there is no Chinese exceptionalism

nlalyst said:

After reading this letter, I was compelled to initiate this thread as an exercise for self-reflection for our expat or overseas Chinese members. Here is the letter:
https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/dl207g

Click to expand...

This letter is ridiculous.

I call it out as bullshit.

Fake news. Fake letters. Fake everything.

The real culture shock for educated Chinese who arrive in America or Canada, is how stupid the average person is. The blacks are violent. The politicians are clueless. And everything you do, needs a lawyer.

@siegecrossbow, @Bltizo, @Deino

This thread should be locked by the mods. There is no place in SDF for a thread to bash a particular culture or race or nation or civilization. If this is allowed, we could pretty soon have many similar threads bashing other race/nation/culture/civilization.

Also please refrain from posting or commenting on the OP, before this is locked or if it is not locked. Don't give him the attention he desires. This is just sheer stupidity.

Smells like another Tidalwave thread.

nlalyst said:

Some examples of toxic nationalism that many will find familiar:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

This article is even dumber.

All it is saying is that Chinese voices do not matter.

Then in the next breath, it complains about Chinese nationalism. Guess that is a way to silence voices they the white Liberals try avoid hearing from.


Why do you think China is on the rise and the west is in decline?

The inequality in the west, essentially forbids unity in society.

Then we have unity in Chinese society, and the white Liberal thinks it is bad. It is more like they see themselves losing cannot admit to that, and hence put our these artificial constructs of reality.

These artificial constructs of reality, the white Liberal and their societies cannot even reach, yet they demand that of the Chinese.

The best thing the west can do for itself is go crush the BLM movements and let their society point forward again. The white Liberal will not save America. And it definitely will not do anything positive for China.

Enough of the bullshit.