• vaultdweller013
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    5 months ago

    You are looking at it from the perspective of a westerner post springtime of nations. As I understand it a lot of Chinese people see it more like the Romans, wherein they may be different but they are all Chinese. Also China has been committing cultural genocide and assimilation against groups within their borders for millenia, this has resulted in what can best be described as a very broad cultural and ethnic identity.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      So you think the Chinese are just naturally genocidal? And that’s why the Yao and Zhuang and Bai and Mongolian people don’t count as distinct ethnic groups?

      Meanwhile, the Welsh, the English, the Irish, and the Scottish do count because… the English have been historically so peaceful and egalitarian?

      • vaultdweller013
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        5 months ago

        When the fuck did I say that their naturally that way? Its a control tool, the Romans also used it to a degree. Its pretty hard to keep an empire as big as China going for severap Millenia without doing that type of shit.

        Also did I say that I didnt recognize the Yao, Zhuang, Bai, and Mongols as distinct ethno cultural groups? I was talking on my understanding of how quite a lot of Chinese folks see themselves, if you want my opinion on it then Id say the Han identity is probably split them into at least a dozen groups and its just cultural genocide and colonialism all the way down. But I refuse to recognize the concept of an American culture so im a bit biased on that front.

        And then finally I didnt know Irish, Scots, and Welsh thoughly identify with the English silly me. Seriously I will repeat myself, I was referring to the dominant groupsing in China not minority groups. But you do allow to make a solid point, who embrases and attemps to enforce the “British” identity the most is it the Scots, Irish, and Welsh or is it the colonialist bastards in the south of England? I am very aware of Englands tendency towards cultural genocide within Great Britain and Ireland, afterall half my ancestors fled to North America to escape the fucking Saxons.

        • yogurt@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          If you don’t get the historical or political reason why something is the way it is then it seems “natural” by default. China never had a several millennia empire unless you think Europe is also a several millennia empire. The modern concept of Han is the same thing you’re doing when you say “fucking Saxons”. The Saxons didn’t do anything, the imperial system and opposition to it is racialized. From the 1600s-1900s Han wasn’t the dominant group in China, the Qing dynasty had a Manchu identity, and they executed people for expressing Han culture. Opposition to oppression and corruption and European imperial influence was racialized as Han nationalism.

          CCP politics straddles an anti-colonial idea of Chinese identity where the diaspora of people shipped around European empires to build railroads or farm plantations are still Chinese, and then also a geographic identity that all those millennia of different systems whether Mongol or Manchu or Han or split up into 100 different states are all equally Chinese.

          • vaultdweller013
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            5 months ago

            Given the fact that China keeps reuniting into a variably centralized series of states that claim continuity from eachother id say that is a several millenia old empire, warlord eras not withstanding. All im doing is applying the same rules a lot of folks including myself use for Rome, pre Roman Egypt, France, or most other empires.

            As for ruling cultures, well whoopedy doo the Manchus had problem with the biggest culture that they ruled over, thats so fucking common for ruling cultures that it barely even registers in my mind as notable. Sure it went on for about 300 years but thats still a drop in the rather large bucket that is Chinese hostory. Hell id say its more notable when a ruling culture starts out trying to assimilate and hybridize with those they rule, the Normans come to mind on that one.

            Frankly I dont care what the fucken CCP claims, empires and states spew a lot of shit from their mouths when the only thing that should be coming out is their own blood. I only care what the common people have to say not some weakling politicians or overworked bureaucrat have to say.

            And then finally the problems my ancestors had was with the southern English aka the Saxons, I know who fucked over my ancestors and I will carry on this grudge from them until every Saxon aristocrat and oligarch are lashed to crosses.