Politics of China’s Nation-formation through the Lens of Culture

China’s politics were largely founded on the culture of the Chinese communities. A significant percentage of aspects of politics borrowed their principles from the Chinese people’s way of life as opposed to the conventional foreign ideologies. Various resources explore this aspect of the foundation of Chinese politics. They depict the importance of culture in guiding the orientation of the political landscape of China. An exploration of the resources can offer an in-depth analysis of the exact ways in which the Chinese nation was shaped. The politics of China’s nation formation depict a significant level of influence by culture.

A strong indicator of this reverence to their own culture was the life-long presidency. The ascension to power of Yuan Shikai in February 1912 was the beginning of his reign as president for life (Zarrow & Zarrow 75). It was a predetermined issue that deviated from the expected norm of having a democracy. His presidency for life was cemented by the fact that the Chinese people allowed him to remain in power through the constitution. The Qing’s National Assembly had been founded in the recent past. Its activities reflected the will of the people and their culture. However, the life-long presidency of Yuan Shikai was also strong due to the resignation of Qing. He also had the support of the Beiyang Army.

The reverence for courts and their rituals was a characteristic of the Chinese culture that shaped the country’s politics. A noteworthy aspect of the Chinese government was the normalcy of invoking the court in important matters. A demonstration of this culture was seen in the involvement of the court in the declaration of a truce between the former and incoming leaders and systems of governance (Zarrow & Zarrow 75). The ascension of president Yuan Shikai involved the abdication of the Qing and the previous monarchical system of government. However, overthrowing the previous leadership did not mean its utter destruction as it would have been expected in most situations of power change. Instead, the lives of members of the royal family were spared. Their renunciation of power was to be rewarded with their short-lived stay in the Forbidden City and regular reception of an allowance. The court was involved in sanctioning the agreement. Reverence for the court was also evident in the perpetual practice of court rituals years in Beijing both in the past monarchical leadership and after the rise of the new government.

The politics of China were characterized by religious backing. The culture of the Chinese people was majorly inclined towards respect for religion as part of the sources of power. Religion took precedence in the state. The politics of the country had a sense of religion in them (Zarrow & Zarrow 75). It was for this reason that the leaders sought to involve religion in matters of leadership. An example of this prioritization of religion in the Chinese culture was the action of the military president Yuan Shikai seeking a path through which he would institute Confucianism as the state religion. He sought to begin the worship of Confucius in response to the wishes of Kang Youwei (Zarrow 81). Several actions signified his seriousness in raising the worship of Confucius. Among them was his outright announcement of this course of action. He also rededicated temples to the worship of the gods and prayed to Confucius on behalf of the people of China. He then asked people to join him in the new form of worship. The reverence of religion by a man of such great political power, as well as his people, signified their willingness to prioritize religion as the foundation of politics.

An aspect of the culture of the Chinese that is related to the respect for religion is the belief in the need for purity. The history of the Chinese people driving away any foreign interference is characteristic of their belief in the purity of their society (Teng & Fairbank 227). The belief was especially evident in their quest for military leadership as the path through which they would cleanse their land from the leadership of the people they considered to be northern barbarians. They believed in the mandate to exterminate all intruders as part of the cleansing ritual. Everyone had to approach this belief from a personal perspective. It was this belief that led them to accept the military leadership of President Yuan Shikai. They supported him in his ascension to power, since they believed in his ability to restore the sovereignty of the people of China.

The culture of purifying China was a major guide in the development of Chinese politics. Other eras of leadership, such as the Ming Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly, were respected for their ability to complete the mission of restoring the sovereignty of China (Teng & Fairbank 227). The mission was considered to be a righteous cause for the related actions. For this reason, it was a basic activity that greatly influenced the acquisition and retention of political power. The leaders who were thought to possess this ability were the ones who found favor in the Chinese populace. Political power was defined as a matter of heroism in rescuing the nation. The need for a better vision for the nation was rarely considered. Matters such as the ability of a leader to improve the economic well-being of the people, for example, were considered to be of less significance in comparison with military ability against foreign invaders.

The culture of purification was manifest in all the activities of the government. The manifesto of the Tung-Meng-Hui suggested the purification of all activities conducted in society through military action. The manifesto was to be implemented in such a way that it would first bestow all political power to the military government (Teng & Fairbank 228). This type of government was considered to be righteous, owing to the noble work that it would do for the people of China in restoring their sovereignty. The army would then engage the enemy in a battle aimed at winning against the invaders and driving them away. The people would support the armies by ensuring a constant flow of all the supplies they needed to win the battle of purification. The second step of purification would be within the realms of governance. It would involve eliminating the various evils that negatively affected the Chinese populace. Among the targeted evils were corruption, torture, bad tax collection activities, and oppression by the government. The ingrained culture of devotion towards purification was, in this sense, a major influence on the persons to whom political power would be given.

The culture of the Chinese also included respect for self-governance. The process of purification by military action was the first phase of a larger activity. The aim of the process, as explained in the manifesto of the Tung-Meng-Hui, was to restore power to the people of China (Yatesen 229). The result of the process would be a better society and conditions that would allow the people of China to thrive in their ways. One of the larger goals of the manifesto and the process of purification was to bring about the ability of people to go about their activities without interference from intruders or an evil section of the government. The manifesto suggested the promulgation of a constitution after 6 years of military rule (Teng & Fairbank 229). The new constitutional government would ensure that the ultimate power belonged to the people as opposed to the government. The people of China would have the right to elect their preferred president and make any adjustments they felt necessary through their representatives in parliament. The culture of self-rule was, for this reason, a major factor in the decision on the position of political power.

Openness to change was also part of the Chinese culture that molded the political landscape of the country. The people of China were willing to make the necessary adjustments whenever the need arose. The positive attitude towards change was meant to ensure that they survived and thrived through any tribulations that they faced. Yuan Shikai was one of the people who spearheaded changes in Chinese society (Waldron 17). He believed that the populace ought to embrace military rule and education for them to thrive. He persisted in saying that schools and the army were the two most important things that mattered to him. It is through the two that the people of China would experience a strong type of modernization. The support he received in his mission to purify the country showed that the people of China considered the possibility of positive change as a factor in deciding on where power should lay.

The politics of the formation of the Chinese nation display great influence by culture. Different resources show that the culture of the Chinese population was strong enough to influence the direction of power. An analysis of the resources shows that religion, the belief in the need for purity and self-governance, and openness to changes were among the most significant aspects of the Chinese culture that shaped the politics of the nation’s formation. It is likely that the strong culture of Chinese society still affects the politics of the nation.