Patriotic Education Campaign

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The Patriotic Education Campaign (simplified Chinese: 爱国主义教育; traditional Chinese: 愛國主義教育; pinyin: Àiguó zhǔyì jiàoyù) was a political campaign in China initiated in 1991 but not carried out in full scale until 1994. In May 1995, the Chinese government issued the "Notice on Recommending Hundreds of Patriotic Education Books to Primary and Middle Schools across the Country", and made a list of a hundred patriotic films, a hundred patriotic songs, a hundred patriotic books.^[1] The main goal of the campaign was to "boost the nation’s spirit, enhance cohesion, and foster national self esteem and pride".^[2]

This was done through education that was designed to construct a historical memory of what the People's Republic of China was created from,^[3] by emphasizing the role the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in securing national independence, and the influence of foreign countries on China. This aim was to boost the CCP's legitimacy, which during the 1980s had declined, particularly around the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.^[4][5] The academic Suisheng Zhao has said the Campaign is part of a strategy to make the Party the “paramount patriotic force and guardian of national pride.”^[6]

Ideology[]

Guiding ideology[]

According to the 1994 "Outline", patriotism education focuses on young people and takes socialism with Chinese characteristics and the party's basic line as the guide. The main content covers the history of China, the traditional culture of China, and the beliefs of the CCP. The outline also promotes Chinese nationalism. In 2019 the "Outline for the Implementation of Patriotic Education in the New Era" was implemented which contains expositions by Xi Jinping, and tenets of Xi Jinping Thought such as the Chinese dream.^[7][8]

Background[]

The Patriotic Education Campaign was promoted by the Chinese Communist Party in the post-Cold War era. The campaign was developed by the government as a response to the growing Chinese pro-democracy movement of the 1980s, and particularly the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests, which had substantially weakened popular support for the Communist Party.^[9] Particularly after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests the Chinese political leadership realized the need of political education of the younger generation in order to create support for the Chinese Communist Party. The two factions of the Chinese Communist Party, the conservatives and the reformists, agreed that Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought no longer sufficiently legitimized their rule. The conservative faction argued for strengthening the position of Maoist ideology, while the reformist faction, led by Deng Xiaoping, saw nationalism as the solution.^[10][11] After a period of political stability and Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour in 1992, patriotic education eventually became a youth education campaign that was mainly focused on the youth and intellectuals.^[11]

Textbook Changes[]

The campaign was aimed at Chinese youth and had them study China’s humiliating modern history - such as China’s “century of humiliation” - and the positive changes brought by the Communist Revolution.^[2] These included a replacement of the old call-struggle narrative with a new patriotic narrative, as well as a replacement of the official Maoist “victor narrative” in which China “won" national independence with a “victimization narrative” that blames the West for China’s problems and suffering.^[2] Specific changes in the content of Chinese history textbooks can be seen at three different instances in time. In 1995, Chinese textbooks followed a Marxist, historical materialist, and internationalist ideology. Japan was seen mostly in a positive light with highlights on its positive impact on China through its own modernization. Negative aspects of Japan, such as the rise of fascism, are attributed to the elite and government and not the people.^[12] Then, in 2004, textbooks took on a more liberal and cosmopolitan ideology. Japan was still only marginally discussed with the only real mention of its influence on China coming from Japan’s role in smuggling opium into China.^[12]

The year 2007, however, saw major changes with textbook ideology becoming more nation-centric with Marxist veneer. Japan’s history and aggression against China were now covered much more explicitly. Furthermore, while Japan’s achievements are still noted, there is no longer mention of any positive impact on China. There is also no longer a distinction between the elite and the masses, meaning Japan's wartime atrocities are now being blamed on the Japanese people rather than the government or elite.^[12] Overall, Chinese textbooks were portraying a much more negative view of Japan. The new content brought forth by this campaign has become embedded in political institutions and inaugurated as the CCP’s new ideological tool.^[2] This represented a major shift in Beijing’s identity politics.

References[]

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