to President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing in 1972. Following Mao’s death
in 1976, more pragmatic leaders recognized the need for economic and political
reforms, and China began to modernize. In the 1990s Chinese leaders opted to
move away from a centrally planned economy in favor of one that was more market
driven. This has proven enormously successful and improved the lives of millions of
China’s citizens, especially those living in urban areas. In less than twenty years, the
nation has become the world’s second-largest economy behind the United States,
when measured in gross domestic product (GDP), and is now a key player in the
global economy.Communicating History
China is currently in transition and experiencing rapid, increased industrialization
and urbanization. Between 1990 and 2013 the urban population more than doubled.
However, the country has historically been a predominantly agrarian society, and
nearly half the population still resides in the countryside.^57 This rural existence
played a formative role in the development of Chinese values. The labor-intensive
agrarian lifestyle extending over centuries, blended with Confucian precepts,
instilled the Chinese with a strong cultural orientation toward collectivism and
hierarchy. Traditionally, Chinese societal organization was composed of four pri-
mary groups—family, gentry, bureaucratic officials, and the imperial throne. Unable
to rely on the bureaucracy or the emperor during untoward times, the extended
patriarchal family, or clan, became the most important social unit. This reliance
on a small, select group of people is today exemplified in the concept ofguanxi,
which is based on mutual obligation in a network of close interpersonal relation-
ships. Another key component of the Chinese historically based social structure
is respect for hierarchy within and between social groups and individuals. This
Confucian-derived value is also seen today in the continuing acceptance of a
centralized, authoritative government.
China also offers us an informative illustration of how historical memory can
become a source of cultural identity, nationalistic sentiments, and a prominent aspect
of political policy. Present-day Chinese are acutely conscious of China’s past, and
their historical memory is characterized by two distinct themes—traditional and mod-
ern. Traditional historical memory recalls the grandeur and legacy of the Chinese
empire when it was the“center of the world,”and nations from afar sent emissaries
bearing tribute gifts to avow their allegiance to the Chinese throne. From this per-
spective, China is seen as an enlightened, advanced country whose contributions sig-
nificantly advanced human civilization. Today, it provides the Chinese with a source
of national pride and identity. Modern historical memory focuses on the degradations
China suffered at the hands of foreign powers during the“era of humiliation.”This
latter historical perspective has instilled“a sense of entitlement growing out of histor-
ical victimization.”^58 The nineteenth-century injustices are frequently used by the
CCP to validate the Party’s legitimacy, justify current policies, and promote national-
ism. For instance, the central purpose underlying The Road to Rejuvenation, a per-
manent display at the National Museum of China in Beijing, is to illustrate how the
CCP ultimately defeated and expelled the foreign powers, especially the Japanese, and
then successfully rebuilt the nation, returning China to its rightful place on the inter-
national stage.Communicating History 175Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).