Understanding China’s Developmental Path: Towards Socialist Rejuvenation?

Abstract

As we arrive at a critical juncture in the contestations for a new global order in which China and communication intersect to assume pivotal roles, it has become more urgent than ever to understand China’s developmental path on its own terms. Such a task, however, is becoming increasingly challenging and politically-charged. Against the tide of describing reform-era China in terms of all forms of capitalism and thereby feeding into the long-discredited “end of history” discourse, this paper overviews political economic, ideological, and cultural changes under Xi Jinping’s New Era from a historical and endogenous perspective. Neither taking “socialism with Chinese characteristics” at face value nor ignoring it, the analysis demonstrates the enduring legacy of the Chinese communist revolution on China’s nation-building and developmental efforts, and the CCP’s abilities in creatively reclaiming this legacy and mobilising cultural resources to sustain its hegemony.