Did Aristotle exist? China targets pseudo-history myths claiming West stole civilisations

A provincial Chinese propaganda department has warned the public against falling for conspiracy theories that claim notable figures like Aristotle and the civilization of Ancient Greece never existed. In a recent post, the "Zhejiang Propaganda" account, linked to the Zhejiang provincial publicity department, expressed concerns over the rise of a so-called "pseudo-historical school" on the internet.

This school of thought disseminates conspiracy theories that deny Western history and claim that key achievements of Western civilization were actually first discovered and developed in China. The post cautioned that while these theories may seem to boost national pride, they stem from ignorance of cross-cultural exchanges and represent a form of cultural insecurity.

The concept of "cultural confidence" is a key element of President Xi Jinping's "Four Confidences" initiative, introduced in 2016 and later enshrined in the Communist Party constitution. This has led to a reinforcing narrative of China's strength and rich history both officially and in public discussions. Some scholars argue that pseudo-historical theories are the result of a broader trend in Chinese society to foster a less Western-centric view of history.

In a December 2023 online lecture attended by over 100,000 people, retired art history professor Huang Heqing, a prominent figure in promoting alternative history narratives, faced criticism from Zhejiang Propaganda for repeatedly asserting that the West fabricated history to promote itself, thereby reducing the evolution of different civilizations to a competition over truth.

The post accused proponents of such views of drawing unfalsifiable conclusions based on a preconceived conspiracy theory and tracing Western civilization's achievements back to China, claiming that the Industrial Revolution was essentially a Chinese invention. Proponents of pseudo-history often align with Han nationalists who have views that diverge from the official Chinese narrative on modern history.

These groups often define dynasties like the Song and Ming as "orthodox Han dynasties," a distinction that could weaken the foundations of China's historical narrative. Han nationalists view the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, China's last imperial power, as a colonial invader. To combat the spread of these conspiracy theories, China has banned several influential social media accounts associated with the pseudo-historical school and artificial intelligence is being utilized to produce large amounts of such content, making it easier to fabricate realistic-looking historical documents.