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At the crux of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a story of greatness and growth out of suffering and shame. From 1839 until 1949, China was subjected to defeat, intervention, and exploitation by foreign powers in what is known as the Century of National Humiliation (百年国耻). The guiding ambitions of the PRC today—chiefly strengthening the nation against foreign influence and rectifying the wrongs inflicted upon China—are deeply rooted in this national narrative propagated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
While much of the territory lost by China during the Century of Humiliation has been restored to Chinese control (i.e. Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet), Taiwan remains disunited from the mainland, even as total reunification has become central to China’s national identity and historical consciousness. The Century of National Humiliation, a collective trauma ingrained in the identity of the PRC, is crucial to understanding why China views Taiwan as a threat to the legitimacy of its regime, and why Chinese aggression toward the Republic of China is inevitable.
In 1839, the British Empire sent a fleet to China, forcing Chinese rulers to open themselves to British trade and sign the so-called “Unequal Treaties.” This milestone marked the onset...