Abstract: 

In the early 1970s, Taiwanese and Hong Kong students in the United States launched the “Defend Diaoyu Islands Movement” (Baodiao Movement). Echoing the nationalist spirit and anti-imperialist sentiment of the May Fourth Movement (1919), they demanded the recognition of Chinese sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands against Japanese occupation, arguing that the islands belonged to “China” instead. But which “China” were they talking about? The Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan, or the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China? This ideal of a unified Chinese nation, supposedly transcending political borders and division, soon sparked a heated debate among students with different ideological orientation. This talk focuses particularly on student activists in northern California and their discourse on China during this period. Influenced by the anti-imperialist sentiment of the era and mesmerized by the appeal of global Maoism, many turned to the PRC and supported cross-strait unification of mainland China and Taiwan under PRC rule. They engaged in effort to promote a positive image of the PRC in the US, such as screening Maoist documentaries and staging pro-PRC drama, at a time when the fear of “Red China” loomed large in the public imagination. The end of the Cultural Revolution shattered their dream of a socialist utopia. Yet, despite feeling despaired, they continued to seek refuge in the ideal of “China,” believing that striving for a unified China remains the ultimate goal of the Chinese nation.

Author bio: 

Justin Wu is an Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at California State University, Sacramento, where he teaches modern Chinese and Asian history. His research interests include nationalism, social movements, and pan-Asianism in 20th century East Asia. He is currently working on turning his doctoral dissertation into a book manuscript. It explores the discourse of Chinese nationalism through the example of the Baodiao Movement, a protest movement by Taiwanese and Hongkongers over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute in the 1970s.