The Rhetoric of Mao Zedong by Lu Xing;

Author:Lu, Xing;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Published: 2017-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

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Mao Zedong’s Rhetorical Constructions of Chinese Nationalism

Nationalism is traditionally associated with symbols, political leaders, and cultural values. In the past decade, scholars have examined nationalism from a variety of angles. Craig Calhoun (2007) treats nationalism as a process of “discursive formation”—“a way of talking” and “a cluster of rhetoric and reference” (151). According to Zheng (1999), Chinese nationalism is rooted in China’s historical struggle against foreign powers and is “about China’s sovereignty, independence, and its proper relations with other nation-states” (xi).

Mao’s rhetoric of nationalism was characterized by constructing narratives. He effectively combined a morass of fear with a flame of hope and an image of a damaged past with the promise of a better China. His words were filled with nationalistic sentiments in the periods before and after he became the leader of China, most predominantly characterized by his condemnation of common enemies both foreign and domestic and by his projected vision of hope and optimism for China’s future. Specifically I argue that Mao’s rhetorical construction of Chinese nationalism was achieved through a narrative of victimization, a denouncement of Chiang Kai-shek and American imperialism, and a desire to build a strong and prosperous China. To Mao, China’s sovereignty was defined in opposition to foreign enemies. His focus on China’s victimization increased the peoples’ fervor toward Mao’s declarations of China’s future prosperity. This national consciousness exuded by Mao served to reinforce his own political power and is believed to have gained China a respectable place in the world.

Historical Contexts of Mao’s Nationalism

Mao was born on December 26, 1893, at a time when China was weak, having suffered multiple foreign invasions and chaotic periods of infighting. Toward the end of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), China suffered a series of foreign assaults, resulting in treaties that disadvantaged the Chinese economy in favor of European interests. In 1842 British troops defeated the Qing imperial army to protect Britain’s lucrative stake in the opium trade. The Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking (August 29, 1842), by which China had to pay over twenty million silver dollars and cede Hong Kong to the British government. In June 1858 foreign powers imposed on China the Treaty of Tianjin, which allowed the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom, the Russian Empire, and the United States to trade, send Christian missionaries, and legalize the import of opium.

In 1895, following a pitiful defeat in the Opium War, China was overwhelmed by an attack from Japan, which had developed a powerful military during the Meiji Restoration (1868–1912). The Treaty of Shimonosek (马关条约) was signed on April 7, 1895, and stipulated that China was to pay two hundred million taels of silver, cede Taiwan and the Liaodong Peninsula to the Japanese, and open coastal cities to conduct free trade with Japan. Moreover, in 1898 Germany colonized the city of Qingdao, which was later occupied by Japan after 1914. From 1895 to 1914 Russia and Japan competed for control of Manchuria, the northeast region of China. In the midst

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