Even if contemporary China has extensively engaged with the world in economic, technological, and social-cultural fields, the shackles of the past “Century of Humiliation” (1840-1945) remain in China’s national identity and its imagination of the West and Japan. This talk will introduce how the dominant memory of the “Century of Humiliation” has been formed, institutionalised, and re-interpreted by the state, and explain why the past can both serve and contradict China’s current approach to international relations. In addition, the talk will present how Chinese intellectuals and other social actors participate in the making of alternative memories and the re-imagination of the West and Japan. It is impossible for China to forget the humiliating past, but how to remember it remains a controversial question.

Yi Wang completed his PhD in Political Science at Waseda University in Japan. He is currently working as a postdoctoral research associate at the Manchester China Institute of the University of Manchester. Previously, he was an adjunct professor at Temple University (Japan Campus). His research interests include international relations of East Asia, Chinese state and society, and memory studies.