The Evolution of Chinese Nationalism

Anti-Japanese protests swept through dozens of Chinese cities in mid-September after the Japanese government's Sept. 12 decision to purchase three of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Accompanied by vitriolic rhetoric, looting and even violence, the protests took public displays of Chinese nationalism to levels unsurpassed in at least a decade. 

Today, Chinese nationalism is characterized by an uneasy relationship between the population's feelings of pride, disappointment and hope for China's future and the Communist Party's efforts to use these feelings as a tool for social management and securing Party control. Nationalism has its roots in China's contemporary history, and for Beijing this sentiment can be a powerful instrument that temporarily shifts the public's focus away from domestic and internal Party problems by reinforcing the Party's role as the guardian of China's national sovereignty and honor. But nationalism — especially in a country as large and diverse as China — is a complex and volatile thing that can quickly expand beyond the limits of Party control.