A food safety factory shutdown has Americans hunting for baby formula. Readying themselves for a covid-19 lockdown, Chinese in Beijing emptied store shelves. Emerging from lockdown, some in Shanghai are visiting well-provisioned markets. U.S.-China agricultural trade is booming, but many are still being left hungry. Food security, sustainability and safety remain issues.
Zhang, "Nationalism in China: Shifts, contentions, and compromises," 2005
Zhang, Peimin, M.A.
Abstract (Summary)
An analysis of contemporary Chinese nationalism starting from the 1980s, this thesis starts with a retrospection of its evolution from anti-traditionalism to anti-westernism on the eve of the 1989 Tiananmen Incident, followed by an overview of the regime's efforts to restore its fading legitimacy by constructing patriotism: the launching of a nationwide patriotic campaign, the promotion of material acquisition, and the airing of the yearly Spring Festival Entertainment Extravaganza. Examination is also given to the "me" generation, those born and nurtured in the age of consumerism and materialism, and their response to the inculcation of a unified national ideology. The thesis concludes by exploring the government's ambivalence in handling the spontaneous, emotional-laden nationalism of the masses. Examination of the interplay between the political regime and the populace suggests that pragmatism, or materialism, is a shared value that reconciles and unites the two.
Advisor: Rosen, Stanley
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