Research on Han Nationalism in China in the 2020s (VI): The Social Foundations, Core Demands, and Future Trajectory of Han Nationalism

After 2020, discussions related to Han nationalism in Chinese online space have increased markedly and have gradually become an important topic for understanding contemporary Chinese ethnic identification, historical narratives, and social contradictions. As the final article in this series of studies, the present paper attempts, from the angles of demographic change, resource allocation, ethnic policy, and national identification, to analyze the social background of the emergence and development of Han nationalism. The article argues that Han nationalism does not simply originate from historical sentiment, but is a form of identity-political expression formed in the process of change in Chinese social structure. With the decline in birth rates, adjustments in the mode of economic growth, and increases in social competitive pressure, some groups have begun to reopen discussion of the fairness of ethnic policy, the boundaries of the national community, and the relations of responsibility and interest among different groups. The article further organizes the principal demands advanced by some Han nationalists, including the abolition of preferential policies based on ethnic identity, renewed discussion of relations of autonomy and fiscal transfer in ethnic regions, and the improvement of social security for lower- and middle-strata groups. At the same time, the article analyzes the possible positive effects of Han nationalism—for example, pushing long-neglected questions into public discussion, emphasizing the principle of civic equality, and strengthening the sense of social responsibility of the majority group. Yet the article also points out that this body of thought possesses potential risks such as ethnicizing complex social problems, neglecting intra-ethnic class differences, and intensifying logics of group competition. This article does not attempt simply to affirm or negate Han nationalism; rather, it hopes, by organizing its internal logic and social background, to provide an exploratory analytical framework for understanding changes in Chinese ethnic identification after 2020.