Origins of Nationalism in China
China's rapid growth as a world economic and political power has been accompanied by growing nationalism among the country's population. Contemporary expressions of nationalism, however, have their roots in China's history and its relations with Japan and the West.
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Identification
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Britain's defeat of China in the so-called "Opium War" of the early 1840s led to the decline of imperial China. It subsequently gave birth to Chinese nationalism.
History
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After the Opium War, various Western nations sought to exercise influence over parts of China, limiting Chinese sovereignty. Nationalist leaders--since Sun Yat-Sen in the early 20th century--have sought to restore a sense of pride.
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Treaty of Versailles
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The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 transferred to Japan a Chinese province that had been under German influence. Thousands of Chinese students protested, and some student leaders formed the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
Expert Insight
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Professor Liu Kang of Duke University points out that China's ruling Communist Party is more a product of nationalism than Marxist ideology.
Japan
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Japanese atrocities against the Chinese in the 1930s and during World War II also contributed to nationalist sentiments in China.
Continued Tensions
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Annual pilgrimages by Japanese leaders to a Tokyo shrine that contains the remains of some convicted war criminals continue to stoke nationalist sentiments in China against Japan.
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