Governing the Dead: Martyrs, Memorials, and Necrocitizenship in Modern China

Twenty To Thirty Million Chinese, Military And Civilian, Lost Their Lives During The Fall Of The Empire, Internecine Wars, Foreign Invasion, And Natural Disasters In The First Half Of The Twentieth Century. How Did China Emerge So Quickly From The Wreckages Of War Into A Powerful State, Supported By Strong Nationalistic Sentiment And Institutional Infrastructure? Linh Vu Argues That, Although The Communist Forces Prevailed In 1949, The Nationalists Had Already Laid The Foundation For The Modern Nation-state Through The Strategic Use Of Their Millions Of Dead. By Selecting Among The Millions Of Victims Of Violence Whom To Enshrine As National Ancestors, The Republic Of China Connected The Living To The Idea Of The Nation, Emotionally And Ritualistically Facilitating Loyalty To The 'imagined Community'-- Provided By Publisher.