Abstract
Chinese nationalism online has been the topic of much recent debate both in academic circles as well as in the media. During 2007 and 2008, a number of topics incited Chinese netizens to proclamations of nationalistic pride in China and to accusations of treason against Chinese who were not ‘Chinese’ enough, as well as campaigns against non-Chinese who were seen as ‘attacking China’. This chapter wants to argue that while many of the postings online displayed a serious lack of knowledge and understanding of China’s history and of its relationship with the world, not all of the online debates can be labelled as the emotional venting by China’s ‘fenqing’ (angry youth). Although much of the Chinese nationalism online can be interpreted as a sign of frustration of young Chinese, there are a number of more reflective voices whose well-argued nationalism is far more problematic for China’s future relationship with other countries.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ash, T. G. (2008, December 4). China’s economic success may soon bring trouble. It would be ours too. The Guardian. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/04/garton-ash-china-economy-comment. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Associated Press. (2008, April 14). Journalists group appeals to China to allow unrestricted coverage around Olympics. ESPN. From http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=3347201. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Bandurski, D. (2009, April 2). Unhappy China, and why it is cause for unhappiness. China Media Project Blog. From http://cmp.hku.hk/2009/04/02/1544. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Branigan, T. (2008, March 23). Western stance infuriates young Chinese fed on government propaganda. The Observer. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/23/tibet.china. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Cha, A. E. (2009, April 19). For China’s New Left, old values. The Washington Post. From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/18/AR2009041801939_pf.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Chen, P. (2006, August 31). Shanghai + sex + blog + controversy = book deal? Shanghaiist. From http://shanghaiist.com/2006/08/31/we_gonna_go_to.php. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Chen, B. (2009, January 2). China: “Just the aftershocks from the earthquake would destroy France!” kids yell. Global Voices Online. From http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/02/china-just-the-aftershocks-from-the-earthquake-would-destroy-francekids-yell/. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Cheng, C. (2009). New Media and event: A case study on the power of the Internet. Knowledge, Technology & Policy, 22(2), 145–153.
China Daily. (2008, April 3) CNN: What’s wrong with you? People’s Daily Online. From http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6386008.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Chinabounder. (n.d.). Sex and Shanghai. From http://chinabounder.blogspot.com/. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Chu, W.-C. R., & Cheng, C.-T. (2011). Cultural convulsions: Examining the Chineseness of cyber China. In D. K. Herold & P. Marolt (Eds.), Online Society in China: Creating, celebrating, and instrumentalising the online carnival (pp. 23–39). London/New York: Routledge.
Clover19862003. (2008, April 17) 2008! China Stand Up! YouTube. From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSTYhYkASsA. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Coonan, C. (2006, September 4). China’s internet vigilantes target British ex-pat cad. The Independent. From http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinas-internet-vigilantes-target-british-expat-cad-414557.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Drew, J. (2008, March 24). Protests may only harden Chinese line. Washington Post. From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032301595_pf.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Farrer, J. (2007). Asian youth culture in a globalizing world. Global Asia, 2(1), 102–110.
Fauna. (2009, April 15). “Zhejiang University girl” exposed by Human Flesh Search. Chinasmack. From http://www.chinasmack.com/2009/stories/zhejiang-university-girl-exposed-by-human-flesh-search.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Forney, M. (2008, April 13). China’s loyal youth. The New York Times. From http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/opinion/13forney.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Grossman, L. (2006, February 5) Google under the gun. Time. From http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1156598-1,00.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Hagan, C. P. (2008). One world, one dream? – Image building and brand China in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. MA thesis, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Hartono, P. (2009, April 20). Liu Jianqiang, Zhang Ping, Wang Lixiong: On the impact of New Media. China Digital Times. From http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/04/liu-jianqiang-zhang-ping-wang-lixiong-on-the-impact-of-new-media/. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Jacques, M. (2009). When China rules the world: The end of the western world and the birth of a new global order. London: Penguin Press.
Kennedy, J. (2008, March 24). China: Bloggers declare war on Western media’s Tibet coverage. Global Voices Online. From http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/03/24/china-bloggers-declare-war-on-western-medias-tibet-coverage/. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Leroux, M. (2008, April 22). Grace Wang targeted by Chinese internet users. The Times. From http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/student/news/article3797519.ece
Li, L. (2009, April 16). Happy or unhappy is the question. Beijing Review. From http://www.bjreview.com/nation/txt/2009-04/13/content_190569.htm. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
MacKinnon, R. (2008a). Flatter world and thicker walls? Blogs, censorship and civic discourse in China. Public Choice, 134, 31–46.
MacKinnon, R. (2008b, March 26). Anti-CNN and the Tibet information war. RConversation. From http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2008/03/anti-cnn-the-me.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
MacKinnon, R. (2009, April 14). My chat with Anti-CNN.com. RConversation. From http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2009/04/on-monday-afternoon-i-did-an-online-chat-with-these-patriotic-young-people-who-run-anti-cnn-a-website-launched-in-the-wake.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Miles, J. (2007, December). The challenge to Beijingoism. The Economist. From http://www.economist.com/theworldin/china/displayStory.cfm?story_id=10125628&d=2008. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Osnos, E. (2008, July 28). Letter from China: Angry Youth. The New Yorker Online. From http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/28/080728fa_fact_osnos/
Pan, K. (2008, September 14). Chinese Youth on Western Media: A diversity of opinion. CNReviews.com. From http://cnreviews.com/china_blogosphere/chinese_youth_on_western_media_a_diversity_of_opinion_20080914.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Song, X., Wang, X., Huang, J., Song, Q., & Liu, Y. (2009). Zhongguo bu gaoxing. Beijing: Kong Hong Book Company.
Soong, R. (2006, August 28). The immoral foreign blogger. EastSouthWestNorth. From http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20060828_1.htm. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Soong, R. (2008a, March). Daily brief comments March 21–31, 2008. EastSouthWestNorth. From http://www.zonaeuropa.com/200803c.brief.htm. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Soong, R. (2008b, April 1). Three days with a German. EastSouthWestNorth. From http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20080403_1.htm. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Soong, R. (2008c, September 11). Daily brief comments – 03: How the Western Media lost the young generation in China. EastSouthWestNorth. From http://www.zonaeuropa.com/200809b.brief.htm. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Soong, R. (2008d, September 14). Mr. Li writes to BBC. EastSouthWestNorth. From http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20080914_1.htm. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Spiegel Online. (2007, August 8). Olympia-Party in Peking: Countdown für die Menschenrechte. Der Spiegel. From http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/0,1518,498907,00.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Tisdall, S. (2007, October 15). Beijing bluster. The Guardian. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/oct/15/beijingbluster. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Videolan. (2006, August). A serious problem on the page of downloading VLC!!!!!!!! From http://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=25748. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Voice of America. (2006, September 4). Internet users turn vigilante in China. From http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2006-09-04-voa12.html. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Watts, J. (2006, August 30). Webhunt for ‘British bounder’. The Guardian. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/aug/30/news.newmedia1. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Watts, J. (2007, October 14). All change as Chinese face game of their life. The Observer. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/14/china.jonathanwatts. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Wilson, M. (2009). Transgressive conformity: DVD and downloading in China. International Journal of Zizek Studies [Online], 3(1). From http://www.zizekstudies.org/index.php/ijzs/article/view/177/273. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Wu, X. (2007). Chinese cyber nationalism: Evolution, characteristics, and implications. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Xiao, Q. (2008a, October 28). Authorities’ attempts to bring online public opinion under control. China Digital Times. From http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/10/cyber-police-try-to-avoid-mass-incident-with-a-preemptive-post/. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Xiao, Q. (2008b, December 7). China News: Twenty most influential figures in China’s cyber-space. China Digital Times. From http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/12/twenty-most-influential-figures-in-chinas-cyberspace/. Accessed 29 Apr 2011.
Yuan, W. (2007). Nationalism in a transforming China. Global Asia, 2(1), 21–27.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Herold, D.K. (2012). Rage and Reflection: Chinese Nationalism Online Between Emotional Venting and Measured Opinion. In: Law, Pl. (eds) New Connectivities in China. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3910-9_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3910-9_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-3909-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-3910-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)