China in the World: Culture, Politics, and World Vision

Ban Wang's book "China in the World" explores how modern China has evolved from the late nineteenth century to the present, focusing on tensions and connections between national formation and international outlooks. It demonstrates how ancient visions of tianxia persist in modern China's worldviews, which value unity, equality, and reciprocity as key to overcoming interstate conflict, social fragmentation, and ethnic divides. Chinese worldviews stem from a desire for world unity and absorbing Western ideas of the Enlightenment, humanism, and socialism, rather than geopolitical dominance. Wang presents a narrative of China's pursuits of decolonization, national independence, national form, socialist internationalism, alternative development, and solidarity with Third World nations, aiming for a shared, integrated, and equal world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

In his book "In China in the World," Ban Wang delves into the intricate and multifaceted history of modern China, spanning from the late 19th century to the present. Through a meticulous exploration of the tensions and interconnections between national formation and international outlooks, Wang reveals how ancient visions persist even as China has embraced and revised the Western nation-state form. The concept of "tianxia," meaning "all under heaven," has undergone a continuous transformation into contemporary perspectives that emphasize unity, equality, and reciprocity as vital ingredients for resolving interstate conflicts, social fragmentation, and ethnic divides.

Rather than seeking geopolitical dominance, China's worldviews are rooted in a deep-seated desire for world unity, drawing inspiration from both the age-old pursuit of harmony and the Western ideals of the Enlightenment, humanism, and socialism. Wang's analysis encompasses a wide range of political writings, literature, and film, weaving together a narrative that encompasses China's pursuit of decolonization, national independence, notions of national form, socialist internationalism, alternative development, and solidarity with Third World nations.

In contrast to national exceptionalism, Chinese worldviews aspire to a shared, integrated, and equal world. Wang's book offers a valuable perspective on China's complex and evolving global role, shedding light on the country's efforts to navigate the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly interconnected world.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478010845