Modernity under the Alias 'Oriental Bismarck' of Li Hongzhang: The Lack of Cultural Subjectivity and the Reconstruction of Nationalism

Abstract

As a prominent politician of the late Qing dynasty, Li Hongzhang possessed numerous aliases, among which "Oriental Bismarck" holds a special significance. This appellation not only reflects the shift in the Chinese evaluation system of historical figures from traditional modes under the influence of Orientalism but also implies the consciousness and practice of nationalism in the modernization model of developing countries. Against the backdrop of the wave of colonialism and the statism vision of self-improvement, concepts like "Oriental-someone/something" in Chinese context embody a loss of cultural subjectivity of the traditional Chinese discourse power. Simultaneously, it reveals that, amidst the entanglement between the old China and the West, certain foreign elements and cultural symbols could be useful to construct the modernity and to affirm the uniqueness of China itself, by relying on nationalism. By analyzing the cultural significance and historical ruptures behind appellations like "Oriental Bismarck," this article adopts a postmodern historical perspective to criticize simplistic interpretations of modernization theory and explores how these appellations serve as important windows for studying the construction of history and modernity.