The “Century of Humiliation” and why China Wants to Rise Once More: A Theory

The People’s Republic of China, now the second largest economy by nominal GDP in the world is aiming for greatness once more.

This vying for international and economic dominance became noticeable starting in 2013, when the East Asian giant became to assert its “undisputed” sovereignty over swaths of sea islets way beyond its coastal borders. Not content with simply occupying small islets and reefs, it started reclamation projects in order to build artificial island where construction of lighthouses and other similar outposts can be built. Strategically speaking, one viable rationale for doing such an effort is that the Spratly Archipelago and the surrounding reefs are lying on top of vast oil and gas deposits.

Spheres of influence in the Chinese Empire, two years before
the last Emperor of China abdicated.
(Source:
http://www.slideshare.net/Elsa2010/effect-of-imperialism-to-china)

The desire of the socialist state stems back centuries ago. One hundred and fifty years ago, generations of Chinese have pursued one nationalistic goal: to restore China’s greatness – Fu Qiang, or “wealth and power” (or sometimes translated as “prosperity and strength”). The book “Weath and Power” by Orville Schell’s and John Delury’s explains in detail about this valiant determination catalyzing the desire of Chinese leaders to embark on projects aiming to make China a superpower. The authors argue that such undertakings were partly driven by a sense of shame and humiliation. In the book “A History of the World” by Marvin Perry illustrates how the Manchu-Era Chinese Empire viewed themselves as the only civilized country in the world, a prideful view that didn’t go well with militarily-superior western imperialist nations who wanted to establish regular trade with China (starting in the 1700s). In the early nineteenth century, China was shaken by the western imperialist nation. Conflict sparked in the form of the First and Second Opium Wars with the British, and coupled with devastating wars with “barbarians” - the French, Portuguese, and even the Japanese, the defeat of imperial China signaled the start of the “century of humiliation”, a term they referred to these events.

The Psychology of "Victimhood"

Victimhood is a powerful unifying emotion that fueled the determination of the Chinese people, as I have observed. Sometimes, it is said that the Chinese authorities see it as a tactic to deflect criticism or bolster public opinion against “western imperialism”.

This feeling of victimhood is also being used as a tactic by some powerful Filipino politicians facing serious corruption issues, as the masses’ “mapalad ang inaapi” mentality is strong.

In China, “making our nation strong so that nobody can mistreat us anymore” overrides all other agendas. This vindictive psyche, however, makes it appear aggressive among its geographically smaller Asian neighbors, the latter labeling China as a “bully”. Its disputes with Southeast Asian neighbors are still thankfully benign.

However, one must be careful especially when a nation’s pride is sensitive. In a Forbes article, it was reported that “the sense of humiliation is so deeply entrenched in the Chinese psyche, that even today while the rest of the world considers China a strong and powerful nation, many Chinese still behave as the ones being bullied and mistreated, with a watchful eye for “hostile foreign forces.””

It is no wonder that the People’s Republic of China is still hell-bent on “expanding” its control towards it claims to be under their “undisputable” sovereignty (which is loosely-based on historical records). Indeed, I can only marvel how a feeling of victimhood can drive one nation (or one person) to prosperity – all in the name of restoring past glory.