D. Barboza

Introduction For decades, Chinese radicals and some liberal-minded intellectuals held ‘Chineseness’ responsible for China’s backwardness, a hindrance to political modernization. Their tactic for national salvation was anti-traditionalism. They were convinced that China would not become great unless it reformed or Chinese tradition was abandoned. Nevertheless, nowadays, one often hears remarks in China that Chineseness is the key to China’s economic triumph and an invaluable source of soft power.