Аннотация:Abstract Why has nationalism surged again in China in the 1990s? What is the content of the this nationalism? These questions have been often asked in recent years. The aim of this paper is to look at these issues from a literary perspective and cast new light on them by examining some influential views and works of one of the most articulate and creative groups of intellectuals. In doing so, the paper will also explore what role Chinese writers play in shaping Chinese nationalism, whether they have an hidden agenda and what political implications their hidden agenda might have. Some answers will be offered through a brief discussion of the 'search‐for‐roots school' of writers and a selective survey of influential literary works with anti‐American and anti‐Japanese themes, and historical novels that recreate patriotic national heroes.
