"Bill Hayton describes how the concept of 'China' began to take shape and what it means for our time," reports MiddleAsanNews.
In his engaging and accessible book, Hayton explores how current geopolitical issues in China—such as the fates of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea—emerged in the context of the struggle to shape the modern nation-state. The author brings to life the intense debates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when reformers and revolutionaries borrowed ideas from abroad to "invent" a new conception of China.
Hayton examines how history, national identity, language, and territory intertwine in the formation of China. He shows how a group of radicals, often in exile, adapted European concepts of race and nation to rethink China's past and build a new future. Through political and personal narratives, the author demonstrates how Chinese nationalism arose from the connections between East and West, and how these ideas continue to influence the country's politics in the 21st century. By supporting certain interpretations of history, the Chinese authorities have reinforced their claims to vast territories stretching from the Pacific Ocean to Central Asia.
The book includes chapters dedicated to the concept of the "Han race," national history, statehood, language, and territory, and illustrates how rethinking its history during the republican period not only justified the right to power a century ago but continues to serve as a foundation for contemporary politics.
"I am very pleased to learn that the Mongolian edition of my book 'The Invention of China' has taken 8th place in the non-fiction bestseller list of a bookstore in Ulaanbaatar!" the author wrote on his page on X.
Bill Hayton is a specialist in Southeast Asian geopolitics and the author of three books about the region: "The Invention of China" (Yale, 2020), "The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia" (Yale, 2014), and "Vietnam: Rising Dragon" (Yale, 2010).
Bill Hayton
He is an associate fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House and a member of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 1998, Hayton has worked in various roles at BBC News, including a year as a correspondent in Vietnam from 2006 to 2007 and another year at Myanmar's state television MRTV from 2013 to 2014.
He has also dealt with issues related to Europe and the Middle East, including some time at the Arab television channel Al Jazeera. Hayton regularly shares his expertise at seminars for various government agencies, companies, think tanks, and universities, discussing disputes surrounding the South China Sea. In 2019, he defended his dissertation at the University of Cambridge, exploring the history and development of disputes in this region. He is currently focused on ASEAN politics and the relationships between Southeast Asia and powers such as China and the United States.
