Abstract (eng)
This thesis analyzes the evolution of China’s national identity by looking at how certain major events from history are perceived, and how that perception has changed over time. The events chosen are three well-known atrocities that were committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War. These atrocities are the Nanjing Massacre, the Chinese Comfort Women System, and Unit 731. The focus herein lies in how these events have been perceived as part of Chinese historiography, as well as society at large. The analysis conducted into this topic has unveiled a dramatic change of narratives between the end of the war in 1945 and the present day, which can be categorized into three periods. These are the Mao Era (1949-1976), during which the atrocities were seen in the light of a narrative of victory; the Transition Period (1976-1989), when the narratives transitioned away from then-outdated ideology; and finally the period of the Victim Narrative (1990-Present), during which a major shift took place toward a much more somber and trauma-centric commemoration of the events. A wide array of sources, such as academic research, media reports, and elements of pop culture are presented to make the case that the modern Chinese national identity relies heavily on narratives of past victimization, and that this focus has come about by design from the political elite. The research, however, also finds that, far from these narratives of victimization being a purely elitist phenomenon, they are widely accepted among a large part of the public, and therefore also influence the decision-making of the elite. The shift in the nature of commemoration of these selected atrocities is representative of a shift in the nature of the national identity.