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China and Nationalism

In China, ideology plays a significant role in how the country works. The nation is explicitly communist, at least they say they are. In the 90, ’s china went through globalization and began to call itself “socialist with Chinese characteristics” after a massive global boom; they stuck with this—a capitalist society with enjoyable land ownership, healthcare, and welfare laws surrounding them. Many people say that china has abandoned its communist path, but the official party says it will use the power and wealth to then later transition into communism. Nationalism is very large in china, and the government works to keep people invested in the country as a whole. There are flags everywhere, and students often must sing the pledge, like America. Mandarin Chinese is taught in every school to make sure that everyone can communicate and that they feel like one person. This does, however, cause the language erasure of minority languages and cultures, which is a big problem. Obviously the issue of Uighurs in western china, not being allowed to speak their language, and not being allowed to practice their culture. Many say this is just to keep everyone under the same identity, and keep them from rebelling, and that it is all worth it. They are in the popular tourist destination of Xinjiang, often visited by the ethnic majority of Han Chinese, while the Uighurs are pushed aside. According to Al Jazeera Uighurs are “…almost half the population in Xinjiang.” while their representation and money gained from the Han tourists are diminished and ignored. China also practices censorship to keep people from speaking their minds if they disagree with the government. This partially means that the average Chinese person might be less nationalist than the government says, but it could also mean that it is easier to indoctrinate them. So many Chinese could be patriotic, like their Chinese identity and flying the flag, but they could love the country unconditionally and be nationalist. The nationalist ideology is spread in many tv shows; they are all in china and talk about Chinese superiority. Inequality is a massive problem in china, with many people being poor in sweatshops while billionaires and political elites make the country’s decisions. It was reported by Bloomberg that china’s tech billionaires pledged to Xi’s vision. The president Xi is powerful, but also a figurehead, with many people under him also having a lot of money and power. From the Chinese people I have spoken to, many resent some corrupt political officials. There are attempts to further education for Chinese people, but much anxiety and pressure are put on school kids. Nationalism and political ideology bring the Chinese people together, resulting in many problems and conformist culture. It will be interesting to see if it lasts.

Citations:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/8/uighurs-timeline

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-27/china-s-humbled-tech-tycoons-pledge-allegiance-to-xi-s-vision

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3174264/why-did-these-5-chinese-tech-billionaires-step-down

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