If you go to the Chinese Communist Party Museum in Shanghai, your first question should be, “Where’s the Communism?” You would expect to see plenty of exhibits describing the evils of a decadent, feudal society in late Qing China; instead, you see a parade of material attacking the predations of imperialist European powers. The greatness of the CCP, it is clear, is viewed as the restoration of China’s place in the world, not the creation of a state run by and for the proletariat.
Chinese nationalism historically has revolved around a complacent and self-satisfied belief in the superiority of Chinese culture, not militarism. However justified that was in the past, it is hard to make a case for it in today’s world. With the CCP constantly beating the nationalist drum, is the stage consequently being set for a military confrontation from which the Chinese government cannot afford to back down without jeopardizing its legitimacy in the eyes of the public? We had better hope not.