Misrepresenting China's emphasis on a unified identity of the Chinese nation as the suppression of ethnic identities is a politically motivated fabrication. This narrative has resurfaced in some Western media outlets after Pan Yue, Director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, delivered a keynote speech on the creation of ethnic minority literature.

The key issue with this narrative is it denies the moral legitimacy and legality of the Chinese government's efforts to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, artificially creating an opposition between ethnic minority identity and the identity of the Chinese nation that does not actually exist. It eliminates the "unity" aspect of the "unity in diversity" feature of the Chinese nation in the name of cultural diversity, thereby portraying China as a hell that oppresses ethnic minorities.

In reality, however, the categorization of the Chinese people into 56 ethnic groups is essentially an academic classification. When the People's Republic of China was founded, it was still a traditional pre-industrial society (with an urbanization rate of only 9% in 1949). After three quarters of a century of economic and social development, China has transformed into an industrialized society (with an urbanization rate of 65% in 2022). Chinese modernization is a modernization that includes every single ethnic group. Whether it be political systems, the economy and market, public services, or cultural concepts, the commonalities shared among China's various ethnic groups far outweigh their differences.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposition of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation is precisely a response to the changes and new characteristics of this new era. It seeks to strengthen the common identity of the Chinese nation, enhance social cohesion, and address ethnic issues. For a modern sovereign state, this is a common political project of nation-building. Why can other countries do this, but China cannot? The crux of the issue is not the project itself, but rather that China has been stereotyped and viewed through tinted lenses. Any praise of China in the current Western world is deemed "politically incorrect," while the opposite is considered "politically correct." Clearly, this is no longer a matter of rational thinking, but rather an emotional expression driven by preconceived positions.

Director Pan Yue remarked at the first plenary meeting of the jury for the 13th National Ethnic Minority Literary Creation Junma Award, one of the highest honors in China's ethnic minority literature field: "In recent decades, influenced by Western ethnic theories and cultural pluralism, a peculiar phenomenon has emerged in the literary circles of developing countries around the world, including China—writers have retreated from focusing on universality and the spirit of the times, and are instead placing greater emphasis on differences and particularity." This observation is indeed grounded in reality. Extreme cultural pluralism can only be a negative detriment rather than a positive contribution to any society. Between universality and particularity, modern society undoubtedly embodies greater universality compared to traditional society.

When China does not act in line with Western ideas, criticizing China becomes fashionable. This is not surprising. During the Cold War, there were also abundant literary works on the clash of values between East and West. Over two decades ago, Huntington lamented "Who are we?" when spectators at a Los Angeles stadium cheered for the Mexican team instead of the American one. If such an event were to occur in China, many of Huntington's compatriots would undoubtedly give a loud cheer.

To sum up, we need to take a holistic perspective of the Chinese nation and create more literary and artistic works that reflect the realities of our time. Otherwise, we cannot build a harmonious society that embraces unity in diversity. Without unity, diversity would become a source of social split and disintegration.

The author is Guankai, Dean of School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China.

Liu Xian /Editor    Liu Li /Translator

Yang Xinhua /Chief Editor    Ren Qiang /Coordinator

Liu Li /Reviewer

Zhang Weiwei /Copyeditor    Tan Yujie /Image Editor

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