A Tortuous Trajectory

On December 7th, 2007, the Chinese government decided to place traditional festivals on the national calendar. This event, which can be considered a textbook example of “inventing tradition”, reinforced the position of those who believe that the Communist Party uses the past in the service of an aggressive foreign policy and to reinforce national unity, which has been jeopardized by the disappearance of socialist ideology. Yet “genealogical” analysis of the decision process reveals that a phenomenon of convergence of interests and representations was at work, bringing together various milieu : Hong Kong deputies, intellectuals, economists, folklorists and businessmen. It also shows the obstacles – among others, managing the flows brought about by an increased number of holidays in such a heavily populated country – that the government encountered before ratifying the proposal. Yet China is now also a society of leisure. Proof of this can be found in the popular enthusiasm with which the government’s initiative was greeted, especially among the urban middle class, who can now profit from new vacation periods. ■

Art · Humanities · Political science · Chinese history and philosophy · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies