National construction is an important political science category, which includes both the construction of regimes, political systems and other aspects surrounding governance, as well as the construction of national identity with loyalty as the core. National identity construction is an important project in the construction of a multi-ethnic country. Its main task is to cultivate national identity with the country and shape national loyalty to the country. From the perspective of national identity construction, the Chinese nation is a political symbol with profound connotation. As the national anthem sang: When the Chinese nation is at its most dangerous time, everyone is forced to make the last roar… This is an important part of national identity construction, that is, the shaping and promoting the people’s sense of loyalty to the country. Amid the national anthem, the “Chinese nation” has become the object of Chinese identity.
“Forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” is an important task in national construction in the new era. To complete this task, we need to deepen our understanding of the Chinese nation. On the issue of the relationship between the nation and the country, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “History tells us that everyone’s future and destiny are closely linked to the future and destiny of the country and the nation. Only when the country is good and the nation is good will everyone be good.” Looking at the world today, it is mainly a competition of comprehensive national strength based on sovereign states. Any nation has its own national ownership, and all nations share the destiny with the country. In terms of the relationship between the nation and the country, the state is the common palace of all ethnic groups, and national sovereignty is the roof of the hall. In the importance of the country embracing the nation, British politician Eric Hobsbawm said vividly: “A nation separates from the entity of the country, it will immediately become crooked and soft like a mollusc being pulled out of its hard shell.” Based on the new era of understanding of the Chinese nation, from visiting the “Road to Revival” exhibition on November 29, 2012 to delivering the report of the 19th National Congress on October 18, 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered speeches involving the Chinese nation on nearly 30 different occasions. These speeches have their own emphasis, but they all revolve around the Chinese nation. Looking back on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s many speeches on the Chinese nation, the core ideas are in line with each other, that is: the country is preferred, the country is strong first; the motherland identity is preferred, the country consciousness is preferred, and the motherland view is preferred; love is the core of the spirit of the Chinese nation.
From a theoretical perspective, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of discussions on the Chinese nation are profoundThe connotation of the engraving:
Highlighting the human factors-the Chinese nation is the one who grasps its own destiny. Marxism advocates the realization of all-round development of people and believes that the people are the creators of history. Relying on the people and for the people is the practice and embodiment of Marxist theory of human development and the view of mass history on the people. One of the core goals of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s discourse on the development of the Chinese nation is to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Whether it is looking back on history, examining the present, or looking forward to the future, an important perception is that the Chinese nation must firmly grasp its own destiny, inspire the national spirit, and rely on itself to develop itself.
Highlighting the function of the country – patriotism. The development of the Chinese nation is based on its own country, and the state provides national protection strength. For this reason, patriotism has become particularly critical. The traditional patriotic sentiment is linked to the current national construction tasks of political stability, national unity, national unity, and territorial integrity, which are specifically manifested in the identification with the great motherland, the identification with the Chinese nation, the identification with Chinese culture, the identification with the Communist Party of China, and the identification with the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The state is a complex of elements such as history, people, culture, power, and Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw system.
Highlighting the statutes on nationalism – love for peace. Modern international politics and international relations are inseparable from the topic of nationalism. In today’s increasingly globalized world, China’s connection with the world has become unprecedentedly close, and it has to face the voice of “China threat theory” that appears from time to time. To this end, China is highly vigilant about nationalism and its influence. China opposes narrow nationalism and declares that it will never seek hegemony or expand. Although famous Western scholars like Huntington and Fukuyama often think that China’s nationalism is high, in fact, they often equate nationalism with patriotism. China has a political and moral system that is different from the West. China’s patriotism can only be transformed into a power of nationalism when it resists foreign aggression.
The concept of the Chinese nation has typical Chinese characteristics. It is not a cold nationalist discourse, but contains the Chinese people’s self-reliance, strong patriotic feelings and love for peace.
The Chinese nation is a community of shared future in history.=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawThe community of people with inheritance and transformation characteristics. That is, although the Chinese nation as a political concept was formed in modern times, as a community of people, its caste reproduction, cultural inheritance, psychological structure, traditional customs, aesthetic values, etc. are all inherited from a long and profound history, and they transfer common historical memory and interpersonal and intergroup relationships with shared destiny into modern national construction. The historical inheritance of the Chinese nation determines that it is a community with a shared future in history, and the choice of destiny takes place in the long river of historical development.
Chinese civilization and Chinese culture provide internal support and spiritual motivation for the development of the Chinese nation. On July 1, 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke at the conference celebrating the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. He pointed out that the excellent traditional Chinese culture cultivated in the development of civilization over 5,000 years, the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture nurtured in the great struggle of the Party and the people, has accumulated the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation and represents the unique spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation. British historian Toynbee believes that from a broad historical perspective, the Chinese have completely protected a super civilization and lived in the stable order of a civilized empire for a long time. At the same time, in its long history, the Chinese people have maintained the precious worldism spirit of human society, and Chinese culture is exactly the farthest from narrow nationalism. This answers that the internal bond of the Chinese nation is Chinese civilization and Chinese culture, and the long history and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization and Chinese culture have also nourished the formation and development of the common body of the Chinese nation. At the same time, identifying with Chinese civilization and Chinese culture is of great significance to realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
PatriotismBabaylan 1990 clothes drawism and peace-loving are the spiritual genes that deeply root the history of the Chinese nation. Patriotism is the Chinese People’s Republic of ChinaBabaylan 1990 cloth drawThe core of the national spirit, which enabled the Chinese nation to preserve its homeland and demonstrated the power of nationalism when resisting foreign invasions. At the same time, history shows that while practicing patriotic traditions, the Chinese nation cherishes peace. In the eyes of many Western scholars, China’s nationalism is hot. But in fact, China’s nationalism as a whole is implicit, or as moderate nationalism (emphasizing patriotism, national unity, and willingness to sacrifice itself for the nation) as former Canadian Liberal Party leader Michael Ignadev said. China’s nationalism does not aim at external colonization and aggression. On the contrary, China’s nationalism emerged from the suffering of being invaded by the great powers in modern times, and is inherently characterized by group self-rescue and self-improvement. Patriotism is people’s emotions about the homeland they live in, and existed before nationalism emerged. China’s patriotism also appeared before the emergence of modern Chinese nationalism. China’s political and cultural traditions and the special environment in which China’s modern nation-state construction began determine that China’s nationalism and the concept of the Chinese nation are closely linked to patriotism. Just as American historian of diplomatic relations M.H. Hunter said: Nationalism, a term that usually describes the process of cultural integration and national construction in modern times, may not be well applied to the Chinese case. “Patriotism” rather than “nationalism” is a more appropriate concept used to describe and explain the special character of the Chinese in seeking national identity.
The history of the Chinese nation is the history of unity among all ethnic groups. The beginning of the preamble to our Constitution is: “China is one of the oldest countries in the world. The people of all ethnic groups in China have jointly created a brilliant culture and a glorious revolutionary tradition.” In addition to relying on Marxist national theory, the Communist Party of China recognizes the nation and solves ethnic issues, and is also based on the historical contributions of various ethnic groups. The “diversity and integration” pattern of the Chinese nation is the result of historical development and an important historical asset for the construction of a multi-ethnic country. The Chinese nation is a historyHistorical community, all ethnic groups have participated in the construction of the community. The existence of a community depends on the consciousness of common belonging and the confirmation of interdependence, through which the situation of interdependence is presented.
The Chinese people have common cultural roots and ancestral home identity. Without emphasizing the historical inheritance of the Chinese nation community, it is difficult to explain the patriotic feelings and Chinese identity of overseas Chinese. The formation of overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese groups is itself the result of some members leaving the motherland, living in a foreign land and taking root in the process of the development of the Chinese nation. From the perspective of ethnic origin identity, overseas Chinese are also members of the Chinese nation’s big family.
The historical inheritance of the Chinese nation community originates from the nourishment of Chinese culture and Chinese civilization, is concentrated in patriotism and the call to guard peace, and is benefited from the unity of mutual assistance and harmony among all ethnic groups.
The “home model” that inclusive opening and closing The Chinese nation is a community of people with opening and closing characteristics. The characteristics of opening and closing refer to the fact that the Chinese nation is open and inclusive in the face of internal cultural differences and ethnic differences, open and inclusive in the face of overseas Chinese, and close in the comparison of boundaries between non-Chinese identity groups in other countries. The opening and closing characteristics of the Chinese nation community determine that it is a concentric community with the center of the circle in the land of China.
Chinese culture has the connotation of “helping the world with both sides”, and Chinese people are always willing to advance on the road and achieve happiness with the people in the world. Is there any way to make the people in the world enter the great way and enjoy the benefits together? Chinese people will always accept it happily.
The Chinese nation embraces all ethnic groups with the “big family” model. As a tradition of governance and integration, “one in the world”, “one in China and the world”, and “one in the four seas” are important propositions of kings in all dynasties in Chinese feudal society and run through almost all dynasties. By the time of the promulgation of the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China, it also required that “the five major ethnic groups love each other and be like brothers and brothers.” After the establishment of the socialist system, all ethnic groups have equal political and social status, and the sense of national ownership among members of all ethnic groups has been continuously strengthened, and the inner unity of the Chinese nation’s big family has been continuously strengthened. In September 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the Central Ethnic Work Conference that the relationship between the Chinese nation and various ethnic groups is the relationship between a big family and family members; the relationship between various ethnic groups is the relationship between different members of a big family.
The Chinese nation tolerate compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait with a “one-one family” model. When General Secretary Xi Jinping met with Chinese Kuomintang honorary chairman Lien Chan in February 2014 and met with People First Party Chairman Song Chuyu in May, he emphasized the concept of “one family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait”. Judging from the general trend of historical development, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are constantly giving upA community with a shared future, both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the economic circle of the Chinese nation and the cultural circle of the Chinese nation. Abandoning political rifts, enhancing the welfare and family affection of our compatriots, and firmly grasping the destiny of the nation in our own hands is the common wish of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Cherishing unification is a respect for the history of the Chinese nation and a defense of the future of the Chinese nation community.
The Chinese nation embraces Chinese and overseas Chinese with the “roots” model. On June 6, 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping said when meeting with representatives of the 7th World Overseas Chinese Society Association: There are tens of millions of overseas Chinese compatriots around the world, and they are all members of the Chinese family. The era of globalization is an era where the transnational flow of information, resources, manpower, technology and other factors is constantly strengthened, and a era where diversified cross-border cooperation is constantly strengthened. Under such a background, overseas Chinese people can better walk between the land of China and the country of residence, better participate in the great cause of rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and participate in the great cause of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The “family model” of the Chinese nation means: a family does not speak two families, and it is easy to discuss the affairs of the family. The “family model” presents the inclusiveness of the Chinese nation community: all ethnic groups in China are one family; both sides of the Taiwan Strait are not Babaylan 1990 clothes draw Chinese people under the same system are all flesh and blood of compatriots; Chinese and overseas Chinese all over the world are all Chinese people. The Chinese nation not only includes people with the nationality of the Chinese people, but also Chinese in Taiwan, and overseas Chinese whose ancestral home is China. It is a group concept recognized by history, culture, blood and other historical concepts. The openness and closing nature of this concept is manifested as: internally, it can specifically refer to the collective of nationals with Chinese nationality, that is, the Chinese nation in the political sense. Externally, it uses historical, cultural and blood ties as a bond, and can refer to all Chinese people (ethnic Chinese).
Multi-ethnicity is the basic national condition of our country, and this basic national condition determines that the Chinese nation is a multi-dimensional community. The Chinese nation is a cultural community, which embraces different national cultures and regional cultures; the Chinese nation is a political community, which embraces political identity.The Chinese nation is a community of interests, which emphasizes mutual concern for both internal and external members, win-win and mutual benefit; the Chinese nation is a community of shared future, which has a long history of development and the future it grasps. The Chinese nation is not a simple nationalist symbol. We emphasize that the use of patriotism and nationalism has a specific context of use (such as the Chinese nation getting rid of colonial oppression and gaining national independence from Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, etc.). In today’s increasingly prominent globalization, Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawWhile the increasingly profound linkage between domestic and international politics, the nationalist knowledge system still has a huge impact. At the same time, in an era of sovereign statesKomiks 1960 witch cloth draw, the discussion on national construction cannot leave out nationalist discourse. The Chinese nation has its own connotation and its own characteristics. China’s multi-ethnic state construction model is also different from the Western nation-state construction model. In short, Western nationalist discourse and nation-state construction model are just local knowledge with huge influence.
(The author is a professor at the Central University for Nationalities)
Source: China National Daily