Understanding National Humiliation

¶ … Forget National Humiliation by Zheng Wang Chosen-Myth-Trauma (CMT) This central chapter looks at how the CMT manifests in China's central consciousness and how this myth can have a massive impact on the national identity at large. Chapter two works hard to explore the nuances of the CMT and the moments in history which still wreak havoc on the consciousness of China today. The chapter deftly avoids regurgitating history, but has a strong focus on the specific manner in which the Chinese recount history.

One of the strengths of this chapter is how it asserts that the very sense of chosenness is something that is such an entrenched belief in China, it even manifests in the collective language. Another strength of the chapter is that it focuses on how strongly humiliation figures into the national psyche of China. "For example, William Callahan believes that humiliation is a key component of modern Chinese subjectivity. He also argues that the discourse of the century of humiliation is the 'master narrative' of modern Chinese history (Wang, 2013).

The utmost illuminating pillars present in this chapter are when the author makes points that can be readily illustrated by looking at the present. The sense of chosenness and humiliation remain constants in Chinese culture, and it's clear to see how the fears and worries connected with these elements can continue to manifest. Chapter Three: From "All under Heaven" to a Nation State This chapter is not as strong as the one previous, simply by virtue of the fact that the author doesn't as succinctly outline his objectives.

Instead Wang delves into a great deal of background regarding how simply embracing the idea of a nation state is a stretch for the Chinese at large and in their own entirety. This chapter is wise in that it explains the tendency of China to engage in a certain amount of isolationism as a result of the impact that history has played upon it, and in part because of its specific place in the world. Consider the following: "The Chinese believed that they lived in the central kingdom of tianxia.

There are several major differences between the Chinese tianxia concept and the Western concept of world system. First, tianxia is a culturally defined community, which is different from the ethnically defined or politically defined world of nation-states" (Wang, 1994). This was so influential because it meant that the civilization was the basic unit of importance, rather than the nation state.

Another major benefit that this chapter provides is the fact that it demonstrates some of the motivations behind the cultural mythologies that thrived in China and how they continue to exist today. Putting these pillars into a more historical context was another benefit of the chapter, as it shed new light upon how the arrival of foreigners helped to open hearts up to the notion of the nation-state.

Chapter Seven: Memory, Crisis and Foreign Relations Chapter seven is extremely strong in that it is able to expound well on one of the earlier points made in the book: how so much of a nation's identity is tied up in its historical consciousness. The view that a nation has of certain events which shaped its path and its course of action is just as important as the actual way that those events were able to shape history and the corresponding consequences.

Chapter seven eloquently digs into this delicate dynamic, asserting that even nations have thinking patterns, some of which are true, and others which are false. Both, however, can make a tremendous imprint on the future. "As a part of national 'deep culture,' historical reminiscences often remain dormant and apparently forgotten. However, during periods of crisis and instability, memory can be activated, and people begin to recall the past more intensely than ever before.

In other words, collective memories may become 'hot' or 'cold,' depending on people's emotional temperature" (Wang, 2013). The strength of the chapter at large revolves around its ability to emphasize the uniqueness of collective memory, particularly historical memory. Memory shapes perspective and both are apparently road.