China’s Youth Has a Problem With History Too
A small crowd of ultranationalists on the fringes of the Chinese internet wants to make Chinese history great again.
China's youth have become increasingly skeptical of historical narratives, particularly those centered around the Tang dynasty, which historians consider a golden age of arts and culture. This skepticism has manifested through a viral conspiracy theory claiming that the Tang dynasty never existed, a claim propagated by a vlogger on Bilibili and other social media platforms.
The Chinese government has swiftly attempted to quash this conspiracy, mobilizing state media and university resources to debunk the claims. The party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, questioned why absurd arguments on history could capture the minds of some youth, fearing that such nihilistic views could undermine the party's ideological foundations.
The conspiracy gained traction by tapping into nationalist sentiments and historical accounts that depict the Tang dynasty as a pinnacle of cultural and artistic achievement. However, the reality is that the Tang dynasty did exist, supported by a wealth of historical records and foreign accounts from the time. China's rapid response to the conspiracy illustrates how deeply the theory struck a nerve in Beijing's political sensitivities.
Censors removed unsanctioned views from the internet, while state news outlets bolstered official rebuttals with help from historians and academics. This incident highlights the government's concern over alternative interpretations of history that could lead to a loss of national identity and confidence in the Communist Party's legacy.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
