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New China rewrites its history

The major topic of Chinese academia in 2022 is to how to achieve the modernization in Chinese style and great emergence of Chinese as a nation. The Chinese historian community continues to argue about the new history of China since Xi Jinping became the Prime Minister and rebuilt its history and the world history from the framework of socialism. Specifically, the Chinese socialistic perspectives on history, and the theory of Chinese ethnic groups as a unity, East-West comparative study, establishment of the three systems, and constant development of historic theories represent the current address of Chinese history in 2022. The three systems refer to the department system, academic system, discourse system all emphasizing the Chinese characteristics. Therefore, the Chinese socialistic history is the basic doctrine of new history of China and the theory of ‘Chinese ethnic groups as a unity’ is the goal of the new history of China.

New history of China

- Where the history of anti-western centrism and Sinocentrism encounters

How does the East-West comparative study, establishment of the three systems, and constant development of historic theories connect to the new history of China?

Basically, the East-West comparative study reflects the recent trends between Chinese historian community that strives to study its own history and world history concurrently. The purpose of the East-West comparative study is to compare the history of the East and West from the Chinese perspectives to conduct an accurate analysis and rewrite the description of history from the anti-Western perspectives. Based on this, they intend to break away from Western centrism by developing the department, theory, and methodologies contrary to it. At the same time, they want to take a diachronic and multi-pronged approach to study the history by establishing the three systems to secure the insight and advanced interpretation capabilities to be applied to both Chinese history and world history and lay the academic foundation for extending the scope of Chinese history. Furthermore, the diachronic in-depth study provides a solid ground for the diversity and integrity of Chinese history to further intensify the theory of ‘Chinese ethnic groups as a unity’ and serves to protect the Chinese socialistic history in the end.

New history of China seen from the Korean history
– Expanded reproduction of China’s Northeast project

The establishment of historical studies centering on China to encompass both world history and Chinese history presents many indications to prospect the directions of Chinese history project in the future as Xi Jinping secures a historic third term as China's leader. At this moment, we need to thoroughly examine problems found in the logical structure of insisting the Chinese way or Sinicization as well as the negative impact that the revival of Sinocentrism may bring to both Korean and East Asian history. For instance, the new history of China or the historical studies centering on China began to consider the Korean War, which is called as ‘Anti-US and Pro-Joseon activities’, as important in the description of modern Chinese history. China intends to absorb the Korean War, which is a critical moment in the modern history of Korea, to that of its own history.  Therefore, it was only a matter of time until the problem of denying the identity of Korean history rose to surface. As the Chinese historian circle continues to emphasize a diachronic perspective currently, it is likely that the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1952, which is called as ‘anti-US and Pro-Joseon activities,’ can also be distorted as a historical conflict of China against the invasion of marine power with the Korean War. The new history of China may try to include the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1952 as a part of Chinese history like the case of the Korean War. Shouldn't the new history of China follow the same trajectory of Chinese Northeast project, which focused on the distortion of ancient Korean history in essence? That is why we should be concerned about the risk of denying the sovereignty and perspectives of Korean history and putting entire history of East Asia in danger to be distorted again.

What should we do next?

The Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF) has continued to focus on the negative impacts or elements of conflict that the China’s recent history project would bring on Korean history, which is rewriting the world history or Chinese history centered around China. To dismantle the Sinocentrism, we need to have research plans that will allow us to combine historical theories, which recognize both difference and coexistence of national history, regional history, and world history, to the studies of NAHF urgently. It is directly related to the globalization of the research of NAHF. Also, we should develop research methodologies to study East Asian history flexibility through various mechanism determining the relations such as reaction, anti-movement, and interaction based on the decentralized approach, while conducting in-depth studies that allow us to reestablish the identity of Korean history and reaffirm the universality and particularity of East Asian history.