New Books Network Guoqi Xu, "The Idea of China: A Contested History" (Harvard UP, 2026)
Mar 8, 2026
Xu Guoqi, historian and founding director of the Institute of Transnational History of China at the University of Hong Kong. He explores what counts as China and who counts as Chinese. He discusses nationalist narratives, transnational ties from WWI laborers to modern flows, and how personal histories and global exchange reshape Chinese identity.
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Sports Reveal Shifting Chinese Identities
- Xu Guoqi uses Aileen Gu and early 20th-century Hong Kong athletes to show nationality is fluid and contested.
- He recounts Hong Kong footballers representing China in 1936 and how identities shift with politics and sport.
China Is A Contested, Transnational Idea
- The idea of China is historically fragmented and emerges from competing dynastic and transnational influences.
- Modern concepts like nationhood, socialism, and sports were imported, so China's self-definition is shaped by cross-border exchange.
From Anhui Village To Transnational Historian
- Xu Guoqi narrates his path from a poor Anhui village during the Cultural Revolution to study in the US and become a transnational historian.
- He links personal mobility to broader trends: China’s reforms, globalization, and rising global standing since the 1990s.
