Fenqing
Encyclopedia
Fenqing or "FQ" (abbreviation), which is itself an abbreviation for Fennu Qingnian , means literally "angry youth". It mainly refers to leftist Chinese youth who display a high level of Chinese nationalism
. This term first appeared in Hong Kong
in the 1970s, referring to those young people who were not satisfied with Chinese society and sought reform. It has now evolved into a term used predominantly in Internet slang
. Whether fenqing is derogatory or not usually depends on the person. Chinese critics often refer to them using the homophone characters "" which are pronounced identically but translate to "shit-youth". This is often changed further to fènfèn as a derogatory nickname.
, during the period of fast economic development that occurred in China. Some people argue that fenqing are a natural reaction to recent neoconservatism in Japan
and the neoconservatism in the United States . Fenqing and these foreign neo-conservative elements intensely dislike each other, but all of them share certain similarities: distrust of foreign powers, support for the military
and boundary disputes, etc. However, fenqing are not to be confused with Chinese neoconservatives
, who espouse a more pragmatic and gradualist approach to political reforms and favor the development of an "East Asian Community" with Japan and Korea, an idea that is anathema to the fenqing
As a group, fenqing are very diverse in their opinions. However, they are usually nationalistic and patriotic, and often left-wing in political ideology and tend to defend Mao Zedong
's controversial actions during the Great Leap Forward
and the Cultural Revolution
. The fenqing are very much concerned with political issues, especially in foreign policy relating to Japan
, Taiwan
, Tibet
, or the United States
.
They often harbour negative attitudes towards Japan
due to the invasion and occupation of China
by Imperial Japan, and support aggressive political stances towards Japan. For example, many believe that the Japanese government's apologies for Japanese war crimes
are insincere and inadequate (some even believe no apologies will ever be adequate). More recent incidents, such a former Japanese prime minister's patronage of the Yasukuni Shrine
, territorial disputes surrounding the Senkaku Islands
(known as Diaoyu in China), and the revisions of history textbooks
by uyoku dantai
(Japanese right-wing extremists), lead these young people to conclude that the Japanese government is again seeking to expand militarily. These anti-Japanese sentiment
s are not necessarily only directed against the Japanese government and military, but often fiercely towards the Japanese culture
, economy, and people
.
Fenqing also refers to "20-somethings often use the Internet to publicly express their views on politics and society."
, for historical reasons and in reaction to events described above. They may dislike Chinese Japanophile
s and other Chinese who are more Westernized and free-market oriented, calling them Hanjian
("Han traitors"). Some view Taiwan as a part of China, and believe that Taiwan independence
should be prevented by any means necessary. Many fenqing tend to consider war to be feasible, if not immediately necessary. A few may even favor the use of nuclear weapons against Taiwan.
Some view American or Western attention to issues such as human rights
, Falun Gong
, Tibet, etc. as attempts to undermine the rise of China. Most support the ideal of democracy
, but view Western attempts to spread democracy as self-serving, subversive propaganda. However, only a few truly believe in communism
.
Some have the view that the Chinese Communist government is invincible and justified at all cases. They may unconditionally defend all action by the Communist Party of China
, or by Mao Zedong
against countries they feel that "threaten China's rise". However, others simply defend the Chinese government because they believe it to be better than an alternative government which they believe would be dominated by Westerners.
Some are very passionate about irredentist claims, however, such may be claims exaggerated by the western media to distract attention away from the inhumanity of the irredentist claims to Palestinian lands enacted by the UN Resolution 181 Partition Pact. In addition to the official claims made by the People's Republic of China
, such as Taiwan, Arunachal Pradesh
, the Senkaku Islands
, and the South China Sea Islands
, some fenqing also make irredentist claims to Outer Mongolia
, Tuva
, Outer Manchuria
, the Hukawng Valley
of northern Myanmar
, parts of Central Asia
east of Lake Balkhash
, Bhutan
, Ladakh
, and Sikkim
.
They generally abhor political corruption within the government and government organizations. Many fenqing care greatly about the poor and believe they are the voice of the poor, advocating social security policies, and despise what they call the "elites" of China. Most fenqing are highly skeptical about the free market and often blame it as the source of corruption, social inequalities and the weakening of the central government. They also generally perceive the government as being too nice or ineffectual in a variety of issues, such as the Taiwan Straits, relations with Japan or the U.S., and Tibetan and Xinjiang independence. For some their role models are Lu Xun
and the activists of the May Fourth Movement
. Some fenqing believe if Lu Xun were still alive today, he would continue fiercely criticizing the government.
The Chinese Communist party does not officially espouse Han chauvinism
. It espouses Zhonghua minzu
nationalism, which emphasizes assimilation into a modern nation of multiethnic origins, and emphasizes the Zhonghua nation's modern-era struggles against the "Imperialists": the West and Japan, and the historical multiethnic Zhonghua nation's insistence on unity under a single imperial state.
Militant nationalist websites, whether Zhonghua or Han, are often suppressed by the government because they appear to be elevating popular discussions into political levels. The government simply has a habit of clamping down on any kind of political discussions to prevent them from becoming ideologies that can replace official Zhonghua-Marxo-Capitalism.
Zhonghua nationalist websites tend to style themselves as "ultra-left socialist", venerating Mao as an anti-colonial icon over his capitalist successors, and identify Japan and US as their prime enemies, and focus very heavily on the goal of militarily invading Taiwan. Uyghurs and Tibetans are discussed as if they are mainly law abiding Zhonghua citizens, with a minority elements instigated by overseas "separatist exiles".
Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
. This term first appeared in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in the 1970s, referring to those young people who were not satisfied with Chinese society and sought reform. It has now evolved into a term used predominantly in Internet slang
Internet slang
Internet slang is a type of slang that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving keystrokes. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites...
. Whether fenqing is derogatory or not usually depends on the person. Chinese critics often refer to them using the homophone characters "" which are pronounced identically but translate to "shit-youth". This is often changed further to fènfèn as a derogatory nickname.
Overview
The phenomenon of fenqing arose after the "reform and opening up" of the Chinese governmentPolitics of the People's Republic of China
The politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. The leadership of the Communist Party is stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China...
, during the period of fast economic development that occurred in China. Some people argue that fenqing are a natural reaction to recent neoconservatism in Japan
Neoconservatism in Japan
Neoconservatism in Japan, also known as the neo-defense school, is a term used by Asian media only recently to refer to a hawkish new generation of Japanese conservatives...
and the neoconservatism in the United States . Fenqing and these foreign neo-conservative elements intensely dislike each other, but all of them share certain similarities: distrust of foreign powers, support for the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and boundary disputes, etc. However, fenqing are not to be confused with Chinese neoconservatives
Neoconservatism in China
In the People's Republic of China, New Conservatism , sometimes translated as "Neoconservatism", was a movement which first arose in the early 1990s and argued that progress was best accomplished through gradual reform of society, eschewing revolution and sudden overthrow of the governmental system...
, who espouse a more pragmatic and gradualist approach to political reforms and favor the development of an "East Asian Community" with Japan and Korea, an idea that is anathema to the fenqing
As a group, fenqing are very diverse in their opinions. However, they are usually nationalistic and patriotic, and often left-wing in political ideology and tend to defend Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's controversial actions during the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
and the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. The fenqing are very much concerned with political issues, especially in foreign policy relating to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, or the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
They often harbour negative attitudes towards Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
due to the invasion and occupation of China
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
by Imperial Japan, and support aggressive political stances towards Japan. For example, many believe that the Japanese government's apologies for Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...
are insincere and inadequate (some even believe no apologies will ever be adequate). More recent incidents, such a former Japanese prime minister's patronage of the Yasukuni Shrine
Yasukuni Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of...
, territorial disputes surrounding the Senkaku Islands
Senkaku Islands
The , also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea...
(known as Diaoyu in China), and the revisions of history textbooks
Japanese history textbook controversies
Japanese history textbook controversies refers to controversial content in government-approved history textbooks used in the secondary education of Japan...
by uyoku dantai
Uyoku dantai
Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups.In 1996, the National Police Agency estimated that there are over 1000 right wing groups in Japan with about 100,000 members in total.-Tennō period:...
(Japanese right-wing extremists), lead these young people to conclude that the Japanese government is again seeking to expand militarily. These anti-Japanese sentiment
Anti-Japanese sentiment
Anti-Japanese sentiment involves hatred, grievance, distrust, dehumanization, intimidation, fear, hostility, and/or general dislike of the Japanese people and Japanese diaspora as ethnic or national group, Japan, Japanese culture, and/or anything Japanese. Sometimes the terms Japanophobia and...
s are not necessarily only directed against the Japanese government and military, but often fiercely towards the Japanese culture
Culture of Japan
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
, economy, and people
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
.
Fenqing also refers to "20-somethings often use the Internet to publicly express their views on politics and society."
Characteristics
Some support Chinese boycotts of Japanese productsChinese boycotts of Japanese products
Boycotts of Japanese products have been conducted by numerous Chinese civilian and governmental organisations, always in response to real or perceived Japanese aggression, whether military, political or economic.-Early boycotts:...
, for historical reasons and in reaction to events described above. They may dislike Chinese Japanophile
Japanophile
Japanophilia is an interest in, or love of, Japan and anything Japanese; its opposite is Japanophobia. One who has such an interest or love is a Japanophile...
s and other Chinese who are more Westernized and free-market oriented, calling them Hanjian
Hanjian
In Chinese culture, a Hanjian is a derogatory and pejorative term for a race traitor to the Han Chinese nation or state, and to a lesser extent, Han ethnicity. The word Hanjian is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for any race or country...
("Han traitors"). Some view Taiwan as a part of China, and believe that Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
should be prevented by any means necessary. Many fenqing tend to consider war to be feasible, if not immediately necessary. A few may even favor the use of nuclear weapons against Taiwan.
Some view American or Western attention to issues such as human rights
Human rights in the People's Republic of China
Human rights in the People's Republic of China are a matter of dispute between the Chinese government, other countries, international NGOs, and dissidents inside the country. Organizations such as the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have accused the Chinese...
, Falun Gong
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
, Tibet, etc. as attempts to undermine the rise of China. Most support the ideal of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, but view Western attempts to spread democracy as self-serving, subversive propaganda. However, only a few truly believe in communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
.
Some have the view that the Chinese Communist government is invincible and justified at all cases. They may unconditionally defend all action by the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
, or by Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
against countries they feel that "threaten China's rise". However, others simply defend the Chinese government because they believe it to be better than an alternative government which they believe would be dominated by Westerners.
Some are very passionate about irredentist claims, however, such may be claims exaggerated by the western media to distract attention away from the inhumanity of the irredentist claims to Palestinian lands enacted by the UN Resolution 181 Partition Pact. In addition to the official claims made by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, such as Taiwan, Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
, the Senkaku Islands
Senkaku Islands
The , also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea...
, and the South China Sea Islands
South China Sea Islands
The South China Sea Islands consist of over 250 around 1-km² islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs, and sandbars in the South China Sea, most of which have no indigenous people, many of which are naturally under water at high tide, some of which are permanently submerged...
, some fenqing also make irredentist claims to Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
, Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
, Outer Manchuria
Outer Manchuria
Outer Manchuria , is the territory ceded by China to Russia in the Treaty of Aigun in 1858 and the Treaty of Peking in 1860. . The northern part of the area was also in dispute between 1643 and 1689...
, the Hukawng Valley
Hukawng Valley
The Hukawng Valley is an isolated valley in Burma, roughly in area. It is located in Tanaing Township in the Myitkyina District of Kachin State in the northernmost part of the country.-Rivers:...
of northern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, parts of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
east of Lake Balkhash
Lake Balkhash
Lake Balkhash is one of the largest lakes in Asia and 12th largest continental lake in the world. It is located in southeastern Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, and belongs to an endorheic basin shared by Kazakhstan and China, with a small part in Kyrgyzstan. The basin drains into the lake via seven...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
, and Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
.
They generally abhor political corruption within the government and government organizations. Many fenqing care greatly about the poor and believe they are the voice of the poor, advocating social security policies, and despise what they call the "elites" of China. Most fenqing are highly skeptical about the free market and often blame it as the source of corruption, social inequalities and the weakening of the central government. They also generally perceive the government as being too nice or ineffectual in a variety of issues, such as the Taiwan Straits, relations with Japan or the U.S., and Tibetan and Xinjiang independence. For some their role models are Lu Xun
Lu Xun
Lu Xun or Lu Hsün , was the pen name of Zhou Shuren , one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in baihua as well as classical Chinese...
and the activists of the May Fourth Movement
May Fourth Movement
The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919, protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially the Shandong Problem...
. Some fenqing believe if Lu Xun were still alive today, he would continue fiercely criticizing the government.
The Chinese Communist party does not officially espouse Han chauvinism
Han chauvinism
Han chauvinism is the chauvinistic and ethnocentric viewpoint that the Han Chinese and their culture are superior to other ethnicities, particularly other ethnicities within modern China...
. It espouses Zhonghua minzu
Zhonghua minzu
Zhonghua minzu , usually translated as Chinese ethnic groups or Chinese nationality, refers to the modern notion of a Chinese nationality transcending ethnic divisions, with a central identity for China as a whole...
nationalism, which emphasizes assimilation into a modern nation of multiethnic origins, and emphasizes the Zhonghua nation's modern-era struggles against the "Imperialists": the West and Japan, and the historical multiethnic Zhonghua nation's insistence on unity under a single imperial state.
Militant nationalist websites, whether Zhonghua or Han, are often suppressed by the government because they appear to be elevating popular discussions into political levels. The government simply has a habit of clamping down on any kind of political discussions to prevent them from becoming ideologies that can replace official Zhonghua-Marxo-Capitalism.
Zhonghua nationalist websites tend to style themselves as "ultra-left socialist", venerating Mao as an anti-colonial icon over his capitalist successors, and identify Japan and US as their prime enemies, and focus very heavily on the goal of militarily invading Taiwan. Uyghurs and Tibetans are discussed as if they are mainly law abiding Zhonghua citizens, with a minority elements instigated by overseas "separatist exiles".
See also
- Stereotypes of East Asians in the Western world
- Chinese nationalismChinese nationalismChinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
- Chinese Exclusion Act
- Red Guards (China)Red Guards (China)Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
- Angry white maleAngry white maleAngry white male or AWM is a derogatory term which typifies a white male who holds traditional conservative views, especially in the context of U.S...
- a similar phenomenon among White Americans