Xin Fan

This concluding chapter of the book scrutinizes the emergence of area studies and their potential repercussions on global history. It revisits the political fervor characterizing the rise of international studies and foreign studies during the 1960s and 1970s, marked by a pronounced anti-imperialist stance. Early world historians and international studies scholars leveraged history to propel the ideological aspirations of the global revolution, leaving a legacy that contemporary scholars in area studies in China are now embracing. In recent years, the burgeoning funding opportunities accompanying the ascent of area studies have greatly facilitated fresh research endeavors for historians in China dedicated to global history. Nonetheless, global historians are currently navigating a complex landscape, encountering both opportunities and challenges as they endeavor to navigate the intricate nexus between history and politics in the early years of the twenty-first century.

This book explores global history as an emerging field of scholarly studies in China today. Readers are invited to rethink the origin of global history in China and to examine its current state. Chinese scholarship is rooted in a warm appreciation of globalization in the age of Opening-up and Reform and presented as a trendy transnational intellectual movement at the opening of the twenty-first century. On the one hand, global history claims an identity of the “new” eager to criticize the Eurocentric bias embedded in the narratives of the “old,” ones from world history; on the other hand, as an emerging field, it is yet to face competitions from national histories and area studies, which are nurtured by latest state initiatives with outspoken political agendas. As a whole, global history captures Chinese scholars’ tenacious interest in studying globalization through the lens of history. This book will interest historians, China scholars, and those trying to grasp the “Chinese perspective” on the world.

This chapter provides a succinct introduction to the emergence of global history and global perspectives in Chinese historiography. Unlike other sub-fields in world history, global historians in China face challenges in organizing national associations, and their expertise is not fully recognized within the existing academic structure. Instead of following intellectual trends and surveying scholarly networks, this chapter begins with a pivotal scholar who played a crucial role in advancing global perspectives in Chinese historical scholarship during the last few decades of the twentieth century—historian Qi Shirong. Qi defined globalization as the zeitgeist of the contemporaneous period and positioned it at the center of his world-historical research. According to his view, globalization marks the commencement of the “present” in China. His advocacy for studying globalization through a world-historical lens influenced a new generation of Chinese historians who increasingly focused on global history at the turn of the twenty-first century. In addition to its great potential, this chapter also argues that global history in China encounters a significant challenge: unlike other subfields in world history, it has yet to produce foundational textbooks and celebrated masterpieces that definitively define the field.

Global historians in China critique the Eurocentric biases prevalent in existing world history scholarship. This chapter, part of the broader discussion on the practice of global history in China in Part II, exemplifies how global history can effectively challenge Eurocentric biases within the framework of international law. It begins by examining scholars’ critique of the theoretical limitations of comparison as a method in world-historical studies. It then explores the utilization and misrepresentation of historical analogies through Eurocentric lenses, particularly within international relations theories. Using the assertion of ancient China’s engagement with international law as a case study, this chapter argues that the wealth of Chinese historical records offers valuable insights to debunk the narrow perspectives inherent in modernity discourse.

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book. It provides the central argument, asserting that global history endeavors to incorporate China’s historical narrative into the broader tapestry of human experience while maintaining a dialogue with Chinese historiography. Despite transcending national boundaries, the emergence of area studies poses a challenge to the scholarly integrity of the field. This chapter critically assesses existing literature in the field while outlining the book’s dual methodology: an intellectual history of historiography and a sociological examination of disciplinary formation. Furthermore, it delineates key personalities, events, and themes to be explored in subsequent chapters.

This study investigates the portrayal of Chinese culture in children's reality television, specifically analyzing seven episodes of the "New Year 2020" program aired on CCTV. Employing qualitative research methods, including textual analysis and comparative studies, the research examines how cultural values are communicated through innovative production techniques and format design. The analysis focuses on the first seven episodes, highlighting shifts in thematic elements, guest selection, and game design compared to other reality shows. The findings reveal that "New Year 2020" integrates traditional cultural aspects with modern entertainment formats, utilizing idioms, food games, and kung fu experiences to engage young audiences. This approach not only serves as a vehicle for cultural education but also reflects broader trends in the Chinese television landscape, where authenticity and relatability are increasingly prioritized over celebrity appearances. This study emphasizes the dual role of reality TV as both an educational tool and a medium for promoting cultural heritage and fostering national pride among children. Additionally, it discusses the implications of these findings for television producers and marketers in adapting content to meet evolving audience preferences while maintaining cultural integrity. By bridging theoretical concepts with practical applications, this research contributes to the discourse on media representation and its impact on societal values. Ultimately, it offers insights into the dynamics of cultural transmission in an increasingly globalized media environment, positioning reality television as a significant force in shaping contemporary Chinese identity and cultural engagement among younger generations.

This chapter belongs to the first part of the book on the origins and fundamental theoretical orientations of global history. It provides a comprehensive survey of the evolution of world history in China throughout the twentieth century. Recognizing the entangled relationship between global history and world history, this chapter establishes the contextual framework for understanding the genesis of global history in China. Notably, global history originated within the world history discipline and continues to be considered one of its subdivisions. The chapter delves into key theoretical issues surrounding the study of world history in China, including debates on whether it is a foreign import, whether it only commenced after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, and whether world history in China is inherently distinct from its Western counterpart. Furthermore, the chapter traces the progression of world history from being a teaching field to evolving into a research field, spanning the Republican period to contemporary China. Special attention is given to the institutional aspects shaping this development.

Global history challenges Eurocentric biases, emphasizes global connections, and utilizes contextual comparisons. However, its relationship with world history remains contentious. The second part of the book delves deeper into this issue by examining the practice of global history in China, with a particular focus on conceptual history. While some scholars in East Asia conflate global history with world history, this chapter demonstrates that global conceptual history has become a prominent subject among Chinese historians today. Rather than focusing solely on comparison, it emphasizes the interplay between local knowledge and transnational concepts. Through a case study on the translation of the term “republic” from English into Chinese via Japan, this chapter illustrates the dynamic relationship between the local, the regional, and the global in historical studies.

This chapter places the question of global moments in global history within the context of the ongoing discourse among historical theorists and world historians in China regarding the role of the national in shaping global history. Some scholars advocate for the composition of global history with distinctive Chinese characteristics, emphasizing the inherent national character essential to historical practice. This chapter diverges from this perspective to scrutinize a pivotal moment that significantly influenced modern Chinese identities—the War of Resistance. It argues that even during the initial stage of the conflict, before the outbreak of the Pacific War, when the Nationalist government in China purportedly confronted Japanese aggressions without substantial foreign aid, a global conceptual framework remains crucial for comprehending the motives behind the resistance. Despite the Nationalist leaders’ profound concerns for the nation’s survival, diverse political forces within China proposed various interpretations of China’s struggle with Japan within a global context. These ranged from anti-colonial rhetoric and anti-imperial aspirations to anti-fascist alliances and anti-Western racial discourse. By uncovering the global dimensions within the national narrative, this chapter encourages a departure from the simplistic binary distinctions prevailing in current historiography in China.

At the opening of the twentieth century, some believed that there was a lack of political consciousness among the Chinese people. They introduced foreign political theories, attempting to engage Chinese citizenry with the political. Yet what the political entails remains an unresolved issue even in China today. This article traces the history of Chinese translation of the political through a dynamic process of language adaptation and cultural appropriation. It argues that two competing legacies, one that promises the politicization as a way to liberate individual subjectivity in a modernizing society and another that calls for the order and organization that subject individual will to the collective power of the state, have exerted combined influences on shaping the modern Chinese conception of the political. As a result, to many Chinese today, politics is not just about the daily business of people's affairs but also an orderly society with a centralized authority.