This paper focuses on paving new ways to analyze political agency and the re-molding of the concept of orthodoxy according to contingent needs in the two most relevant emperors of the Western Han...Show moreThis paper focuses on paving new ways to analyze political agency and the re-molding of the concept of orthodoxy according to contingent needs in the two most relevant emperors of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE-9 CE), namely Han Gaozu (256-195 BCE) and Han Wudi (156-87 BCE). Through a textual analysis, this researches will investigate music as a cultural artefact and in what terms it is talked about, finally shedding some light on the logical fragility of assuming orthodoxy and tradition as never changing.Show less
This thesis analyses the construction of Hong Kong national identity in online discussions about the high speed rail connecting Hong Kong to Mainland China and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai sea bridge in...Show moreThis thesis analyses the construction of Hong Kong national identity in online discussions about the high speed rail connecting Hong Kong to Mainland China and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai sea bridge in localist Facebook groups. The paper argues that the Hong Kong identity constructed in these discussions is indeed nationalist, i.e. based on the belief that the members of the nation share a common origin, and is built on the following themes: antiMainland Chinese sentiment, anti-CCP thought, and the importance of money as identity constructing entity in Hong Kong society. As a result, the construction of Hong Kong national identity by Hong Kong localists relies heavily on Othering Mainland Chinese, while there are few references to Hong Kongese cultural characteristics. The contributions of this paper are that it argues for the possibility of a Hong Kong identity to be seen as national identity and how this national identity is constructed by localists.Show less
This thesis presents an ethnographic report of the subculture of skateboarding in the city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. Through interviews as well as both participant and not...Show moreThis thesis presents an ethnographic report of the subculture of skateboarding in the city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. Through interviews as well as both participant and not participant observations, the author has immersed himself in the local skateboarding scene to discover the peculiarities of this movement as well as the links that connect skateboarding in this mid-sized city to declinations of this subculture around the country and the world.Show less
Learning Chinese characters is one of the major challenges CFL learners face, and it may in some cases become overwhelming and cause learners to lose their motivation for learning the language....Show moreLearning Chinese characters is one of the major challenges CFL learners face, and it may in some cases become overwhelming and cause learners to lose their motivation for learning the language. However, the character script is one of Mandarin Chinese’s most salient features, and is indeed one of the aspects that draws learners to learning Mandarin in the first place. This brings us to an important question: How should Chinese characters be taught to CFL learners? In The Netherlands, Mandarin is now being taught at more and more high schools, but as this is a relatively recent development, not that many Dutch textbooks are as yet available for Dutch high school student CFL learners. This study has examined: What research has had to say about how to teach Chinese characters to CFL learners (‘Theory’); How several beginner-level textbooks in use at Dutch high schools teach Chinese characters (‘Practice’); The views and approaches of a group of Chinese CFL teachers and a group of Dutch CFL teachers regarding teaching Chinese characters (‘Practice’); and finally: To what extent practice, especially practice in Dutch high schools, appears to correspond with theory (‘Practice versus Theory’). Insofar as research has provided clear results or suggestions, and insofar as the present study has touched upon the corresponding topics, practice in fact appears to closely correspond to theory. It is also clear, however, that more research is needed.Show less
Since the Xi leadership, the Communist Party lays significantly more emphasis on the importance of history and its education, which is reflected in the party’s overall discourse, institutional...Show moreSince the Xi leadership, the Communist Party lays significantly more emphasis on the importance of history and its education, which is reflected in the party’s overall discourse, institutional changes and the compiling of a new series of unified textbooks. Education is key in the national socialization process, and can be utilized for fostering patriotism. This study is concerned principally with the discursive construction of a key period in Chinese history in the new junior high school textbooks: the “century of humiliation”. Through combining one of the approaches within the critical discourse analysis school and ethnographic research methods, this study dissects the discourse within in the textbooks and examines the transmission process of the discourse in the classroom environment. Furthermore, the research also analyses the contextual environment in which the textbooks arose, taking into consideration the broader official discourse and relevant recent trends. This study reveals the applied discursive strategies and demonstrates their significance in creating a historical truth.Show less
The main goal of this work is to make a timely and relevant contribution to understanding where moral legitimacy stems from in the Chinese context during a period of economic, political, and social...Show moreThe main goal of this work is to make a timely and relevant contribution to understanding where moral legitimacy stems from in the Chinese context during a period of economic, political, and social change. Particularly, how is Chinese government reestablishing its moral authority through the implementation of a centralized SCS? Is it possible, from a Chinese perspective, to restore the government’s morality by limiting individuals’ agency? What are the risks and benefits of this majestic project? To solve these queries, it is necessary to delve into China’s political tradition and contemporary history, and to highlight the role of morality as a source of government’s legitimacy. I believe this work will contribute to paving the road to an unbiased understanding of the rationale behind the implementation of the SCS.Show less
The thesis focuses on medicine policy in the PRC from 1949 until 1962. The aim of the research is to decide whether or not deteriorating Sino-Soviet relations have contributed to the remarkable...Show moreThe thesis focuses on medicine policy in the PRC from 1949 until 1962. The aim of the research is to decide whether or not deteriorating Sino-Soviet relations have contributed to the remarkable change in Chinese medicine policy that took place throughout the designated time period. The author analyzes all available issues of both English and Chinese versions of the leading Chinese Medical Journal to demonstrate policy change, political development and a change in Sino-Soviet relations.Show less
China consists of an enormous geo-body, with different geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences. Hence, many differences exist within its population, which consists of fifty-five...Show moreChina consists of an enormous geo-body, with different geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences. Hence, many differences exist within its population, which consists of fifty-five minorities and the Han majority. Although the state creates space for the acknowledgement of internal differences, it also continuously emphasizes China’s unity. This has led to a paradox of unity in diversity. Prior research on cultural diversity within China has mainly focused on minority nationalities, giving less attention to the Han as they are often deemed ‘invisible’. This research will however focus on the Han as it aims to answer the question: “How do Han students identify themselves in the paradox of unity in diversity?” by examining what the sense of belonging of students from Shandong University is built on. The data will show that self-identification of the students is simultaneously vertically and horizontally related, depending on the role of the ‘Other’: identities exist in tandem with each other, while they can also gain preference. Furthermore, through the constant emphasis on ‘national’ and ‘hometown’ identities ―one representing unity, the other diversity― it becomes evident that the paradox of unity in diversity is an integral part of the students’ self-identification.Show less
Grammatical gender is one of the ways in which many languages classify nouns. It is not a universal category: for instance, it is absent in Chinese Mandarin, as well as in many other Asian...Show moreGrammatical gender is one of the ways in which many languages classify nouns. It is not a universal category: for instance, it is absent in Chinese Mandarin, as well as in many other Asian languages. The aim of this research, focusing in particular on Chinese speakers, is to investigate to which extent speakers of genderless languages grasp the concept of grammatical gender. If they were asked to associate a noun with a gender, which strategies would they use? This thesis illustrates the results of the nominal classification made by Chinese respondents who were asked to select genders for forty nouns and to motivate their choice. The findings of this study may be helpful in two ways. On the one hand, they may provide information on how the human mind classifies nouns. On the other hand, they may give a new perspective for future studies on second language (L2) acquisition.Show less
Presentation of the topic As a consequence of its vertiginous development in the last decades, China has gained a new position as an international superpower. Economic development has led to...Show morePresentation of the topic As a consequence of its vertiginous development in the last decades, China has gained a new position as an international superpower. Economic development has led to drastic social changes which had an impact on the official conception of Chinese Identity supported by the government. After the Maoist era and the reforms conducted under Deng, the old communist ideology did not suit Chinese people anymore. The government has had to find new discourses on which to base the national community. Contemporary China’s nationalism engages repeatedly with China’s glorious past and the unique value of Chinese traditional culture. Through such themes, the government aims to build a connection between contemporary Chinese society and Chinese history, in an effort to fill the lack of ideology which followed the Maoist era. Moreover, in contemporary times China’s international image has changed too; it is now one of the most powerful economies in the world, but lacks of international cultural influence. This study will investigate whether Chinese domestic cultural governance is meant to have an impact on an international level, and how such an objective would be achieved. This research will focus on the formulation and implementation of cultural governance under the president Xi Jinping, approaching the subject in a threefold analysis: theories on Chinese identity and nation-building, international network building and cultural investments under Xi Jinping, and exemplifying case studies in the Shandong province (The Confucius Temple and Kong’s Manson in Qufu, and the Shandong Province Museum in Jinan). Research Questions The questions this research seeks to answer are: how is cultural governance formulated and implemented in Contemporary China? What are the theories behind Chinese nation-building strategies that engage which traditional culture? How should the governmental support to Chinese traditional culture be interpreted? Who is the audience for such narrative and what does it aim for? How does this discourse reflect on a local level, such as the Shandong Province?Show less
Literature allows us to experience the world through different eyes, walk through faraway lands and live a life vastly different from our own, if only for a short while. Not even teenagers are...Show moreLiterature allows us to experience the world through different eyes, walk through faraway lands and live a life vastly different from our own, if only for a short while. Not even teenagers are immune to its lure, as shown by the success of youth literature throughout the world. While sales figures of this young branch of literature are astounding, it is also worth delving into its contents. Shown by websites such as The Brown Bookshelf, the Children’s Book Council Diversity Initiative and the #WeNeedDiverseBooks Campaign, there is an ongoing debate on the importance of diversity and representation of minority groups in youth literature, as people wonder what it means when our classrooms are more diverse than the characters in our youth literature. What happens if we bring this debate to China? While China is almost as large as the European continent, it is easy to mistake it for a homogenous country. In truth, China has a hugely diverse population, which begs the questions: is this diversity reflected in its just as hugely popular youth literature? When discussing minority groups in China, the first to spring to mind are the 55 ethnic minority groups. Though they make up less than 10% of the total population, combined they still account for more than a hundred million people. Their representation in Chinese youth literature will be the focus of this thesis. The first chapter will examine the current state of contemporary Chinese youth literature and how it has developed. In the second chapter, I will take a closer look at the problematic nature and context of ethnic minority groups and ethnic representation in China. The third chapter will introduce the five youth literature novels that will be the focus of this research, and a thorough discussion of the ethnic representation in these five novels will be featured in the fourth and last chapter. The main research question is: how are ethnic minority groups represented in contemporary Chinese youth literature?Show less
In January 2016, the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) started its operations. Supposed by media and academics to be partly a reaction to an unsatisfying international...Show moreIn January 2016, the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) started its operations. Supposed by media and academics to be partly a reaction to an unsatisfying international financial system, the emergence of this bank - which is still ongoing - has incited heated debate about the intentions behind its founding. One point of concern for more conservative analysts is the effect of its emergence on Sino-Japanese relations. Is the AIIB aiming at changing these relations and in what way does it or does it not? This thesis argues that concerns over a supposed hidden agenda or over supposed structural changes in China's foreign relations are not completely reasonable. The way in which the AIIB has been presenting itself to the world in its first operational year does not confirm worries among media and academics so far. Consequently, based on its first operational year of extensive cooperation with other development banks, the AIIB seems to be an institution that is rather conducive than detrimental to global development, also to the extent of Sino-Japanese relations.Show less
In the Western world a popular belief is that great nations should take responsibility and protect the populations of conflict-ridden countries. In many ways we could argue that China is on its way...Show moreIn the Western world a popular belief is that great nations should take responsibility and protect the populations of conflict-ridden countries. In many ways we could argue that China is on its way to becoming a great nation, thus expectations that the Chinese leadership steps up to this task are mounting. Traditional Chinese foreign policy is based on respect for the sovereignty of other nations, non-intervention and laissez-faire in general. Greater economic interests in areas abroad are in conflict with these traditional principles. In this thesis we have therefore researched whether China is putting economic and diplomatic pragmatism ahead of principle. While Beijing attempts to avoid involvement in matters that are not of national interest, we will see from two case studies - based on the Libyan civil war and the Syrian civil war - that this has become increasingly difficult. Moreover, when looking at UN peacekeeping operations we see that China is an actively contributing P5 member. It seems that 'wuwei' (or not-doing), is becoming an untenable stance in a globalizing world.Show less
This thesis studies the organizational principles of the Hàn dynasty text Shuō wén jiě zì 說⽂文解字, written by Xǔ Shèn 許慎. It presents a qualitative case study of three radical sections. In the...Show moreThis thesis studies the organizational principles of the Hàn dynasty text Shuō wén jiě zì 說⽂文解字, written by Xǔ Shèn 許慎. It presents a qualitative case study of three radical sections. In the analysis, special attention is paid to the sociopolitical context in which the text was produced, so as to understand the cultural factors that presumably informed Xǔ Shèn’s organization of the text. On the basis of the analysis, it also discusses Xǔ Shèn’s conception of writing. The analysis shows how the organization of characters was profoundly influenced by the ideologies of its time. It demonstrates how philosophical theories such as yīn–yáng and five phases (yīnyáng wǔxíng 陰陽五行), the doctrine of the unity of heaven and man (tiān rén hé yī 天人合一), and numerology of the Yì jīng 易經 (Book of Changes) all made their way into Xǔ Shèn’s lexicographic system. Furthermore, it shows how many characters are neatly organized in semantic series, which make up large parts of some radical sections. On the basis of the close connection between character organization and cosmological theories, it argues that Xǔ Shèn understood script mainly as a graphic representation of reality, which reflects the order of the cosmos. In linking the original text to the ideologies and customs of its time, this study offers an interpretation of how the organization of characters in three radical sections is best understood.Show less
