Podcasts
Beyond National Democracy: China’s Ideas and Ideas of China
This interview with historian Professor Xu Guoqi explores the major themes of his latest book The Idea of China at a moment marked by the weakening of the international order and the global resurgence of nationalism. We begin by tracing the changing meanings of “China” and “Chineseness.” The conversation then moves to thinking about Chinese universalism, its alignments and tensions with Western liberalism, conflicts between evolving historical identities and the projection of a stable national order, and the role of “cooked past” in constructing modern Chinese identity.
21.05.2026
