The article under review titled as “Money, power and the peril of courting Chinese nationalism” was published in Al-Jazeera, authored by Frederik Kelter.[1] The articles kick starts by highlighting Chinese nationalist vlogger who brought the spotlight to a simple “Happy New Year” sticker on the door of a shopping mall in Nanjing. The sticker had circular red circles around it which resembled the Japanese flag. The vlogger got furious and told the mall manager not to put up “junk” like this. Eventually, local law enforcement authorities had to intervene. The police gave a warning to the mall management on which 33 years old shop owner Alice Lu reacted by saying to Al-Jazeera;
“It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”
This happening event went viral across China where social media demanded that all things under a red circle should be banned including the logo of Huawei, posters of Mao Zedong, and even traffic lights.
The actions of that young vlogger were covered by the state-owned television which stated that this young man pose a threat to individuals, companies, and societies. Chinese studies researcher Shaoyu Yuan attends Rutgers’s University in the United States who quoted;
“CCTV’s comments demonstrated an attempt by the Chinese government to maintain state control over the narrative surrounding nationalism. They want to ensure that nationalism serves as a unifying force rather than being misused.”
Alice Lu further told Al-Jazeera that Nanjing incident was an illustration of extreme patriotism. While Yuan sees Second Sino-Japanese war as an intimidating factor in domestic Chinese orientation regarding Japan. Chinese are full of vigilance against Japan.
Another incident in 2022 illustrates the Chinese feelings and modern-day interpretations of Japanese. A cosplayer was arrested by the Chinese police in Suzhou just because she was wearing a Japanese kimono. Similarly, a Chinese man was beaten in central Chinese city of Xian just because he was driving a Japanese car.
It is not entirely about anti-Japanese sentiments. It is related to the state-controlled narrative and hardcore patriotism. In the Nanjing incident, the official Chinese statement stated that the criticizing young vlogger was the duty of the state because patriotism is not a business. Hence, it is not wrong to quote that soft power plays a significant role in shaping and controlling the narrative according to one’s will.
The writer is a student of “Strategic Studies” at “National Defence University”.
[1] Frederik Kelter, “Money, Power and the Peril of Courting Chinese Nationalism,” Al-Jazeera, March 2, 2024, accessed May 5, 2024,