Inventing Left and Right in China

This book explores the introduction and localization of the political concepts of left and right in Chinese media discourse from the late Qing to the late 1920s, analyzing their shift from spatial metaphors to political symbols that redefined Chinese society, politics, and culture.

Globally established as political terms in 1789, left and right began to appear in Chinese media by the late 19th century. This study traces their evolution, analyzing their construction and transformation within Chinese discourse. It explores their metaphorical extensions into morality and value judgments, uncovering the power structures in media narratives. The book also demonstrates how left-right discourse intersected with radical, conservative, and liberal ideologies, forming intricate conceptual networks that influenced ideological contestation and the development of political communities.

Designed for researchers and graduate students in political communication, media studies, conceptual history, Chinese studies, and comparative politics, this provides valuable insights into the evolution of political discourse, ideological categorization, and the adaptation of global political concepts in non-Western contexts.