How Ancient Foes Can Get Along

Source: Ashkan Forouzani/unsplash

by Rongchang "Jay" Ji and Ye Zhang Pogue

Ethnic hatred exists in almost every culture. The history of some hatreds may go back hundreds, or even thousands of years. As people growing up in China, we find that the relationship between Han Chinese and Manchu is unconventional.

The majority ethnicity in China is Han. It may not be known to many, however, that the ruling class of several dynasties were ethnic minorities. The Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China, was ruled by the Manchu. During the Qing era, the Han were subjected to brutal persecution, including the elimination of Han traditions, the persecution of scholars, and even massacres. This oppression was carried out by ethnic Manchu soldiers. Conventional wisdom would assume that the Han people of today should harbor resentment toward the Manchus. The reality is the opposite: There are hundreds of dramas that glorify the Qing dynasty, and praise various Qing Emperors as wise rulers.

Interestingly, there are also far more TV dramas set in the Qing dynasty than in the Tang or Han dynasties, which were ruled by the Han. Qing dramas are also more popular than dramas set in other dynasties. A drama called Princess Huan Zhu was shown on various TV channels for more than a decade. Dramas like this one were almost entirely written and directed by Han Chinese. And as was the case in history, the Han people are subordinate to Manchus in these shows. Yet, both artists and audience enjoy the shows nonetheless.

It is interesting to explore the psychological and social reasons behind this phenomenon.

First, education plays an important role. Research has found that the Han people used to hate Manchu, during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), because the Communist party labeled Manchu people as an oppressive enemy class. Later, the government portrayed the Manchu as an important ethnic group in China—not oppressors, but our own people. In Chinese textbooks, all criticism of the atrocities that happened during the Qing Dynasty is directed toward the Qing government, not the people. When important historical Manchu figures are discussed, they are discussed in a similar fashion to how Han figures are discussed. As a result, when considering the Manchu, Han people are less likely to see them as the “other.”

Second, there is a feeling of cultural continuity and relevance. To maintain power, the Qing government adopted Confucian traditions to rule in a similar fashion as previous dynasties run by Han people. As a result, the Manchus as a ruling class actually adopted some Han values and philosophies, even as the Qing dynasty tried to suppress Han culture. When modern Han people view history, they can see cultural continuity, and feel connected to both the Qing dynasty and the Manchu people. People in general see the Qing dynasty as an integral part of Chinese history, instead of a colonial power or a foreign invasion.

The third and perhaps most important factor is economics. Several Qing dramas have been highly rated and very intriguing, making them very profitable. With the audience's growing interest, more directors and screenwriters started to make shows set in this historical context and featuring Manchu characters with similar dreams and fears as the viewers themselves. Regardless of their ethnicity, audience members could see their commonality with the other ethnic group. They could see these characters as fellow human beings, instead of members of an alien tribe.

In conclusion, when hostile rhetoric has stopped, and commonality is emphasized, people start to see each other as “our own," and ancient foes may start to get along. People learn to hate, but they are not born to hate.