Q: What are the Chinese people looking for? What drives them to work so hard? A: To understand what the Chinese people want, we must first know what the Chinese people don't want. What the Chinese people want least are chaos and disorder, oppression and humiliation, and ignorance and poverty. In contrast, they aspire for unity and stability, equality and autonomy, and civilization and prosperity.
DeepChina is an elite academic initiative that offers objective and rational analyses on a broad spectrum of topics related to China, encompassing politics, economics, culture, human rights, diplomacy, and geopolitics.
Q: What are the Chinese people looking for? What drives them to work so hard? A: To understand what the Chinese people want, we must first know what the Chinese people don't want. What the Chinese people want least are chaos and disorder, oppression and humiliation, and ignorance and poverty. In contrast, they aspire for unity and stability, equality and autonomy, and civilization and prosperity.
Continue readingThe Southern Origin Theory lacks rigorous academic substantiation and has not garnered broad endorsement within scholarly circles. Conversely, the "Mainland Origin Theory," positing that Taiwan's earliest inhabitants originated from the Chinese mainland, is the mainstream view in international academia.
Continue readingWhen and where did the Chinese civilization begin? According to radiometric dating, the Niuheliang site of the Hongshan Culture, located in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, dates back to about 5,000 to 6,000 years ago in the late Neolithic period, representing the first phase of this ancient state era.
Continue readingExcavated from the Beinan Archeological Site, the most representative Neolithic settlement in Taiwan, the skull with its dental mutilation features, objectively demonstrates the shared cultural genes of the ancestors of Taiwan and those of the southeastern China.
Continue reading"Golden 72 Hours"
Continue readingThe High-altitude Ecological Relocation Plan, which was initiated in Xizang in December 2019, represents a significant endeavor by the Chinese government to improve the living conditions of local residents and to alleviate ecological stress.
Continue readingThe average annual population growth rate was 1.4‰ in ancient China, while it was as high as 20—12‰ during the first 100 years after the founding of the Tang Dynasty (618–907). How did such explosive growth occur? What changes took place in China's demographic structure?
Continue readingThe Taosi site in the southern basin of Shanxi Province is considered to be the ancient civilization code of "China in earliest times." The Taosi Culture and society, represented by the Taosi site, entered the early stage of a state and civilized society.
Continue readingThe promotion of national standard spoken and written language is not a policy arrangement unique to China. Jonathan Pool, an American scholar, once argued that a country with extremely diverse languages would be underdeveloped, while a developed country was sure to have a highly unified common language.
Continue readingTo smoothly advance the reform process and achieve results, it is necessary to start reforms from the point where contradictions are most prominent and conditions are most favorable. This approach will create the necessary conditions for further reforms, enabling a holistic leap forward.
Continue readingOver a long period of historical interaction, the languages, religions, and even modes of production of the various ethnic groups in Xinjiang have continuously evolved, absorbing and drawing on foreign cultures. However, the ethnic cultures of the peoples in Xinjiang are all components of the Chinese civilization.
Continue reading"Lifeline" for people in Xizang
Continue readingOver the past few decades, China and India have been engaged in a series of disputes and even military clashes over China's southern Xizang border. Why has it become such a contentious problem?
Continue readingThe name of Xinjiang was formalized with the establishment of Xinjiang Province in 1884. The meaning of "Xinjiang" has evolved over time, and contrary to the claims of certain ill-intentioned parties, it does not imply "newly conquered territory" or "new colony."
Continue readingThe "Adaptive Missionary Strategy" pursued by the Jesuits does not alter the fact that this era of Western Learning Spreading Eastward was fundamentally rooted in aggression and colonialism.
Continue readingWhat is the historical logic behind China's modernization and common prosperity? How do we view the significance of deepening reform comprehensively in addressing ethnic issues and promoting common development? What reference value does the Chinese experience hold for the world?
Continue readingHow do we understand the historical development of the Chinese nation towards its unity-in-diversity pattern? How do we view the differences between Chinese and Western civilizations from the ethnic perspective? What is the value of China's experience for the world in regard to its success in handling ethnic issues?
Continue readingThe term civilization-state is becoming increasingly familiar, even in the West. It exists in its most complete form in China where civilization and the state have been inextricably bound together for thousands of years, and especially since 211 BC.
Continue readingIn the Xizang Museum of China, there is a brocade inscribed with the Chinese characters wanghou from the 2nd or 3rd century. At that time, Xizang lacked the natural conditions and technology to produce such brocade. This raises the question—where did this brocade come from?
Continue readingThe award ceremony of the 13th National Junma Award for Ethnic Minority Literature Creation was held in Nanning, Guangxi Province on November 16. What is the Award about? What was the background of its birth?
Continue readingAlmost all important historians in modern China have recognized that narrating Chinese history through the concept of a "single nation," as introduced from Europe, is akin to trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Continue readingModern archaeological discoveries have rewritten and reconstructed the prehistory of Xizang, allowing us to describe Xizang's history and social development by drawing upon abundant physical evidence.
Continue readingThe invasion of Xizang by British troops, the flight of the Dalai Lama and the Simla Conference, and the "expulsion of Han" incidents, these division crisis in Xizang before 1951, deepened the suffering of an already impoverished Xizang.
Continue readingAt the outset of this process in the late Ming Dynasty, the transmission of Western knowledge occurred under relatively fair conditions.
Continue readingIt is worth noting that the 17-Article Agreement was drafted in both Chinese and Tibetan. During the negotiations, the terms were revised multiple times, with each change reflected in both versions and approved by Xizang local representatives.
Continue readingThe core content of the 17-Article Agreement is the expulsion of imperialist forces, with the Central People's Government assuming responsibility for all foreign affairs related to the Xizang region.
Continue readingIn fact, Buddhism and other major religions throughout the world have been able to spread widely because they are all able to adapt to different cultures, nations, countries, and social circumstances and achieve religious localization.
Continue readingElsewhere in the world, there is already a basic consensus on the relationship between religious extremism and violent terrorism, and many countries advocate taking multiple measures for de-radicalization.
Continue readingThe Second World Conference of Sinologists "The International Conference on Studies of the Community for the Chinese Nation" was held in Beijing.
Continue readingChinese Moslem leaders and believers differ from religious extremists in that the majority of them, while believing in Allah, do not reject modern civilization, and never advocate overthrowing governments.
Continue readingWhen interviewees were questioned about the possibility of being forced into employment, many would express astonishment, and say "Work is an integral part of our lives; why would anyone be compelled to do what sustains them?"
Continue readingIn historical Chinese records, the region that is now Xinjiang has also been referred to as the "Western Regions." In modern times, some people use the term "East Turkistan" instead of "Western Regions" or "Xinjiang." Is there any historical or factual basis for this?
Continue readingThe reason why democracy cannot be uniform from country to country is that democracy, as a political superstructure, is not only based on a certain economic foundation but is also closely linked to the practices of the people of each country and its history and culture.
Continue readingChinese modernization brings benefits to the world and its approach to ethnic relations creates a new paradigm for other multinational countries, said some international experts.
Continue readingThe principle of "one person, one vote" does not constitute the only morally legitimate democratic approach. It is not a substitute for other democratic methods; it is only through integration with these methods that a solid democratic framework can be created.
Continue readingIn the early 20th century, the ideology of Pan-Turkism spread to Xinjiang, and became the ideological bedrock for the East Turkistan separatist movements. But the fact is, there is no historical connection between the Uygur people and Turkey.
Continue readingXinjiang has long been a pivotal crossroads for the eastward diffusion of Buddhism. Islam is now the dominant religion in Xinjiang, Buddhism was once the preeminent faith here.
Continue readingThe West often regards Marco Polo's famed journey as the start of Sino-Western interaction. Yet we should be aware that the first encounter between these two civilizations took place on Chinese soil.
Continue readingThe Xizang-related bills and resolutions proposed by the United States Congress, continuously criticize and interfere in China's human rights affairs, relying heavily on a tool known as "long-arm jurisdiction."
Continue readingSelf-determination oriented toward independence is recognized as a legal entitlement within the parameters of international law. In contrast, self-determination with the aim of secession is neither sanctioned by international law nor endorsed by the global community.
Continue readingUnder the propaganda for self-determination by Western countries, the principle has become a weapon to claim legitimacy for separatist movements, and a key factor causing regional conflicts.
Continue readingNo one is denying that Indian Buddhism influenced Xinjiang's Buddhist practices and culture, but there is no reason to exaggerate its influence.
Continue readingThe United States began to get involved in Xizang affairs of China in the early 20th century, and while its approach has changed since then, its goal has remained consistent.
Continue readingAs China's assistance to Africa continues to expand, some Western media accuse China of "neocolonialism." Then, what is the real situation?
Continue readingThe West's dubious narrative has turned the interpretation of Xinjiang's history and culture into a political battle, aiming to decouple Xinjiang's diverse culture from the unified culture of China.
Continue readingThe practice of multi-ethnic cultural diversity in China predates the emergence of multiculturalism policies, whether it be the melting pot of the United States, or the mosaic of Canada.
Continue readingJudging the legitimacy of the right to rule from a purely military-colonial point of view was a typical Western colonial perspective.
Continue readingCultural pluralism, with its stagnant perspective, turns diversity into a passive and negative force. If Chinese ethnic minority literature were to use cultural pluralism as its benchmark, it would lead to a diminished presence in the broader literary ecosystem.
Continue readingAccording to Kissinger, both the United States and China think that they are unique, but the Chinese seek to be respected by others, while Americans seek to convert others.
Continue readingMisrepresenting 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.
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