Han chauvinism

This article is about ethnocentric attitudes among ethnic Han within China. For a nationalistic attitude among ethnic Han Chinese, see Han nationalism. For the diplomatic system and the ideology that emphasized China's centrality in the world, see Sinocentrism. For a form of nationalism that asserts that all Chinese people, including ethnic minorities, are a nation, see Chinese nationalism.

Han chauvinism
Traditional Chinese	大漢族主義
Simplified Chinese	大汉族主义
Literal meaning	Great Han-ism
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dà Hànzú zhǔyì Bopomofo ㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄢˋㄗㄨˊ ㄓㄨˇㄧˋ Wade–Giles Ta4 han4-tsu2 chu3-i4

Han chauvinism is the belief that Han Chinese culture and way of life are superior to others. It is officially opposed by the government of the People's Republic of China, which believes that it poses a threat to the unity and stability of the country. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Mao Zedong first criticized Han chauvinism in 1938 and these criticisms continued throughout his rule. ^[3] For example, Mao's 1956 speech On the Ten Major Relationships emphasizes the need to oppose Han chauvinism. ^[4]

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s notions of China as a multicultural state have been subjected to criticism by the western media. ^[5] Many policies have been made to give privileges to minority ethnicities, leading to legal inequality. ^{[6] [7]}

CCP former leader Deng Xiaoping also criticized Han chauvinism. ^[3]

The current CCP general secretary Xi Jinping has officially criticized Han chauvinism. ^[8] However, the Chinese Dream, a core concept of Xi is believed by some to have Han-centric dimensions. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

In ethnic relations

Further information: Racism in China

Although the current Chinese government has largely attempted to promote the idea of a multiethnic nationalism instead of a singular ethnic nationalism, individuals have pointed about the lack of an agreed-upon definition of Chinese nationalism may have impacted on China's political decision with regard to other non-Han people and non-Chinese nations. ^{[12] [13] [1] [14] [ needs update ]}

Tibetans

Further information: Sinicization of Tibet

Since the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, controversy has existed because of the view that Tibet was historically a feudal region that practiced serfdom until communist influence in the region liberated the Tibetans. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18]} Some academics have described relations with Tibetans as a form of Han settler colonialism. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

Xinjiang

Further information: Xinjiang conflict

Since 1758, the region of Xinjiang has issues with government policy, which further extend to ethnic relations. ^[22] Han and Hui people often live closer to Uyghurs, and stereotypes were developed. ^[23]

Mongols

Further information: 2020 Inner Mongolia protests

Mongols have been perceived to be better integrated into society than Uyghurs and Tibetans. ^[24] However, there were ethnic tensions and stereotypes. ^{[25] [26]}

Relationship to Chinese nationalism

Han nationalism and Chinese nationalism (as well as Han Chinese chauvinism or Chinese chauvinism) are different in terms of ideology, with the latter frequently focusing on a more multiethnic form of nationalism. ^[27] There were a significant and large group of proponents of a multiethnic form of Chinese nationalism along with other scholars as well. ^{[28] [29]}

The multifaceted image of Han Chinese nationalism further developed during the buildup to modern Chinese statehood. ^{[30] [31] [32] [33]} Han Chinese nationalism also played a part in World War II, when the Second Sino-Japanese War occurred, where the Han Chinese people frequently suffered, and fought, against the Japanese. ^{[34] [35]}

See also

• China portal

• Anti-Han sentiment
• Chauvinism
• Sinicization
• Hua–Yi distinction
• Sinocentrism

References

1. Carrico, Kevin (29 August 2017). The great Han : race, nationalism, and tradition in China today. Univ of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-29549-0. OCLC   1125804033.
2. "Could Han Chauvinism Turn the 'Chinese Dream' into a 'Chinese Nightmare'?". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
3. Meyer, Patrik. "Could Han Chauvinism Turn the 'Chinese Dream' into a 'Chinese Nightmare'?". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
4. Lin, Chun (2006). The transformation of Chinese socialism. Durham [N.C.]: Duke University Press. p. 101. ISBN   978-0-8223-3785-0. OCLC   63178961.
5. Ghai, Yash (2000). Autonomy and Ethnicity: Negotiating Competing Claims in Multi-Ethnic States. Cambridge University Press. p. 77. ISBN   9780521786423.
6. Liu, Xiaoyuan (2010). Recast All Under Heaven: Revolution, War, Diplomacy, and Frontier China in the 20th Century. Recast All Under Heaven: Revolution, War, Diplomacy, and Frontier China in the 20th Century. pp. 115–116. ISBN   9781441134899.
7. Law, Ian (2012). Red Racisms: Racism in Communist and Post-Communist Contexts. Springer. ISBN   978-1137030849.
8. 王淑卿. "Xi outlines ethnic affairs for new era". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
9. Meyer, Patrik. "Could Han Chauvinism Turn the 'Chinese Dream' into a 'Chinese Nightmare'?". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
10. "Han Chauvinism and the Chinese Dream". 17 June 2016.
11. Friend, John M.; Thayer, Bradley A. (2017). "The Rise of Han-Centrism and What It Means for International Politics" (PDF). Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. 17 (1): 91. doi:10.1111/sena.12223 . Retrieved 6 October 2020.
12. Townsend, James. "Chinese Nationalism" (PDF). The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs.
13. Harris, Peter (1997). "Chinese Nationalism: The State of the Nation". The China Journal (38): 121–137. doi:10.2307/2950337. JSTOR   2950337. S2CID   146969772.
14. Law, Ian (8 September 2012). "Racial Sinicisation: Han Power and Racial and Ethnic Domination in China". In Law, Ian (ed.). Red Racisms. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 97–131. doi:10.1057/9781137030849_4. ISBN   978-1-349-33608-1.
15. Hofer, Theresia; Sagli, Gry (21 April 2017). "'Civilising' Deaf people in Tibet and Inner Mongolia: governing linguistic, ethnic and bodily difference in China". Disability & Society . 32 (4): 443–466. doi:10.1080/09687599.2017.1302319. ISSN   0968-7599. PMC   5425626 . PMID   28553018.
16. Barnett, Robert (2008). Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China's 100 Questions. University of California Press. p. 84. ISBN   978-0-520-24464-1.
17. Denyer, Simon. "A romantic opera in Tibet just happens to bolster China's historical position there". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 9 September 2020.
18. "Friedman: Chinese Believe Tibetans, Other Ethnic Groups Should be Incorporated into One China". Council on Foreign Relations . Retrieved 9 September 2020.
19. McGranahan, Carole (17 December 2019). "Chinese Settler Colonialism: Empire and Life in the Tibetan Borderlands". In Gros, Stéphane (ed.). Frontier Tibet: Patterns of Change in the Sino-Tibetan Borderlands. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 517–540. doi: 10.2307/j.ctvt1sgw7.22 . ISBN   978-90-485-4490-5. JSTOR   j.ctvt1sgw7.22 .
20. Ramanujan, Shaurir (9 December 2022). "Reclaiming the Land of the Snows: Analyzing Chinese Settler Colonialism in Tibet". The Columbia Journal of Asia. 1 (2): 29–36. doi: 10.52214/cja.v1i2.10012 . ISSN   2832-8558.
21. Wang, Ju-Han Zoe; Roche, Gerald (16 March 2021). "Urbanizing Minority Minzu in the PRC: Insights from the Literature on Settler Colonialism" . Modern China . 48 (3): 593–616. doi:10.1177/0097700421995135. ISSN   0097-7004. S2CID   233620981.
22. Liu, Amy H.; Peters, Kevin (8 September 2017). "The Hanification of Xinjiang, China: The Economic Effects of the Great Leap West". Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. 17 (2): 265–280. doi: 10.1111/sena.12233 .
23. Ildikó Bellér-Hann (2008). Community matters in Xinjiang, 1880-1949: towards a historical anthropology of the Uyghur. BRILL. p. 75. ISBN   978-90-04-16675-2 . Retrieved 28 June 2010.
24. Qin, Amy (31 August 2020). "Curbs on Mongolian Language Teaching Prompt Large Protests in China". The New York Times .
25. Tighe, Justin (May 2008). "The Purge of the Inner Mongolian People's Party in the Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1967–69: A Function of Language, Power and Violence. ByKerry Brown. Folkestone, Kent, U.K.: Global Oriental, 2006" . The Journal of Asian Studies . 67 (2): 707–708. doi:10.1017/S0021911808000910. ISSN   1752-0401. S2CID   161598031.
26. Wu, Zhong (8 June 2011). "Green motives in Inner Mongolian unrest". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
27. Zheng, Dahua (30 December 2019). "Modern Chinese nationalism and the awakening of self-consciousness of the Chinese Nation". International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology. 3 (1) 11. doi: 10.1186/s41257-019-0026-6 . S2CID   209509370.
28. Tang, Wenfang He, Gaochao (30 August 2010). Separate but loyal: ethnicity and nationalism in China. Honolulu, HI: East-West Center. pp. 17–18. OCLC   678575064.
29. Marsh, Jenni (26 May 2020). "China says it has a 'zero-tolerance policy' for racism, but discrimination towards Africans goes back decades". CNN . Retrieved 22 August 2020.
30. "Genocide as Nation Building: China's Historically Evolving Policy in East Turkistan". Journal of Political Risk. 7. 29 August 2019.
31. Wang, Ke; Fletcher, Carissa (8 September 2019). The East Turkestan Independence Movement, 1930s to 1940s. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press. ISBN   9789882377844 – via Project MUSE.
32. Sperling, Elliot (2004). "History and Polemics". East-West Center. JSTOR   resrep06540.
33. Dai, Tinglan. "The Great Han: The Development, Evolution, and Influence of Chinese Ethnic Nationalism on Modern Chinese Society and Government" (PDF).
34. "Han Nationalism in China". Al Jazeera Center for Studies.
35. Modongal, Shameer (31 December 2016). Lu, Zhouxiang (ed.). "Development of nationalism in China". Cogent Social Sciences. 2 (1): 1235749. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2016.1235749 . S2CID   54202582.