Modern Chinese Nationalism and the Han Nation: An Analysis based on the Hanfu Movement

Abstract

The development of the Hanfu movement in modern China reflects the Chinese peoples quest for national identity. Hanfu is the traditional dress of the Han nation. Initially, some Hanfu activists attempted to use Hanfu to restore the core status of the Han nation in China. Later, Hanfu became more popular among the Chinese public and represented increasing Chinese cultural influence abroad. However, the association of the Hanfu movement with nationalism has not been widely studied. It is introduced Benediction Andersons imagined communities, Anthony Smiths ethno-symbolism, and Manuel Castellss three identities in the age of the Internet in the paper to explore the changes in the construction of Han Chinese identity at different times in China and the flow of nationalist sentiment. In addition, the network soil and radical nationalism at the birth of the Hanfu Movement are also noteworthy. This is linked to the modern online forms of nationalism and the new issues of Chinese nationalism in the context of online media under the control of the Chinese government to remind the future Hanfu movement not to fall into a narrow nationalist dilemma. Finally, this paper argues that moderate nationalism is conducive to the cohesion of Chinese national identity and the overall cultural revival of modern China.