Author ｜
Yu Yih-soong
Abstract ｜
Today both zhonghua minzu and zhonghua are commonly understood as historical concepts denoting the Chinese nation and state. Yet according to modernist theories of nationalism, the nation emerged only after its creation by nationalism. Therefore, the original meaning of zhonghua minzu, zhonghua renmin gongheguo (People’s Republic of China) and zhonghua minguo (Republic of China) must have been reshaped during the process of state building in the Late Qing/Early Republic period. The aim of this essay is to analyze the original layers of meaning inherent in zhonghua and how they were selected and reinterpreted in that process.The two main points of focus are: first, how Chinese identity was constructed to include the so-called non-Han population, and second, how the history of the Chinese nation was imagined as a linear narrative from ancient to modern times.
keywords ｜
zhonghua, nationalism, non-Han, nation state