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Competing Constructions of Chinese Identity at the Turn of the 21 st Century

Competing Constructions of Chinese Identity at the Turn of the 21 st Century. Wenshan Jia, Ph. D., Chair, Associate Professor Department of Communication Studies Chapman University California, U.S.A. Introduction.

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Competing Constructions of Chinese Identity at the Turn of the 21 st Century

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  1. Competing Constructions of Chinese Identity at the Turn of the 21st Century Wenshan Jia, Ph. D., Chair, Associate Professor Department of Communication Studies Chapman University California, U.S.A

  2. Introduction • What self-image should China present herself on the stage of the 29th Olympic Games? • What kind of identity should China remake in the deepening phase of globalization using the 29th Olympic Games as the major instrument?

  3. Historical Background • Canton and Minority Groups • Opium War= Sinocentrism was shattered. • Redefinition • Westernization • Cultural Nationalism • Self-Strengthening Movement/ Empowerment

  4. Historical Background II • 1950s to 1960s: Socialism • 1970s: Change of Direction • 1980s: Socialism vs. Political/Economic Liberation • 1992: Deng Xiaoping =Embrace Economic Liberation • 1990s: Genuine Capitalist-Globalist • 21st Century: Sino-Centric Globalization

  5. Theoretical Framework • Framework Based on Mary Jane Collier’s identity negotiation theory (2006) and Young Yun Kim’s intercultural personhood theory (2006).

  6. Methods • Ethnographic Research for the Past Two Decades • China’s Preparation to Bid for the Right to Host the 19th Olympic Games. • China’s Preparation for the 19th Olympic Games. • Fieldwork and Observations: • Eve of Opening Games, Opening Ceremony, Rehearsal of the Games, News and Blogs for the past 20 years, CCTV, people’s Daily, Xinhua Sohu, Beijing Olympic Games Committee Official Website, DuoWei News, Omnitalk, New York Times, News Week, Los Angeles Times, Traveling to China for four summers consecutively, Bohai Sea Circle, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta

  7. Three Streams of the Beijing Olympic Games Discourses • The Construction and Reconstruction of the Chinese Identity • Into three shapes by three different groups using the 19th Olympic Games. • What a Chinese Is and Should Be: • Globalist Discourse • Localist Discourse • Glocalist/ Intercultural Discourse

  8. Globalist Discourse • Produced by emerging entrepreneurs, West-trained Chinese professional elites, white-collar workers and liberal sector of the Third Generation of CCP Leadership • “Yu Guoji Jiegui,” Getting connected with the international track. • Effort to adopt the globally received rules. • Jiang Zeming’s “three represents” theory • Having CCP represent the most advanced culture.

  9. Globalist Discourse Cont. • Jiang Zeming’s effort to westernize and speak English • Shanghai’s imitation of Times Square in NYC • Hangzhou’s replica of the White House • Jiang’s love for Italian Opera created inventive to build the Grand Theatre near Tiananmen Square • Western Avant Garde Architects built the Bird Nest, Water Tube, new CCTV Tower, New Beijing International Airport • Liberalism becoming mainstream

  10. Localist Discourse • Reverse Globalization • Tu Weiming’s concept of “cultural China” • Establishment of 250 Confucian academies around the world • Information sovereignty and Cultural security • Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao Administration stopped using Jiang’s “three represent” theory • Reverting to native Chinese concepts - Hu’s “Yi Ren Wei Ben,” dating back 2000 years.

  11. Localist Discourse Cont. • Societal Level: campaign to boycott English-only conferences • Move to remove Starbucks from the Forbidden City • Movement to request Chinese athletes to wear Han Dynasty styles of clothing • Opening Ceremony’s ethnocentricity • WenJiabao’s affirmation of the universal human values were attacked by some nationalistic scholars.

  12. Glocalist/Intercultural Discourse Most Sparse • Leading Spokesman: Wu Jianmin, former Ambassador to France • Intercultural Communication between countries • Jia Yuxin and Hu Wenzhong created China Association for Intercultural Communication some ten years ago • Intercultural Communication Research Centers created at Peking University, Shanghai International Studies University and others. • Inclusive and Integrative Discourse • Closest to reality

  13. Comparative Analysis • Globalist Dicourse: “Look, I am trying to become you and even more than who you are.” • Localist Discourse: “Come on! Let’s recover the glory of who we have been in history!” “Don’t try to be who you are not and who you have not been.” • Glocalist/ Intercultural Discourse: “Let’s try to stay both who we have been and become who you have been.” “ This way can both become much more.”

  14. Discussion/Conclusion • Globalist and Localist Discourses result of dichotomous world views rooted in analytical philosophy in modern West. • More inclusive and dialectic view rooted in Glocalist/Intercultural Discourse would benefit China in the Long run. • Interculturalor Hybridized Cultural Identitiy for All

  15. END • References: • Chen, B. (2003) • Collier, M. J. (2006) • Kim, Y.Y. (2006) • SCOL (2006, 12). • Tu, W. (2005)

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