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Jane Cai

China’s economic and technological advances are being unfairly dismissed in the United States and other parts of the West as a result of hierarchical thinking, according to a theory dubbed “winology” that is taking hold among some online commentators.
The term winology was coined by Chinese academics and refers to ways in which countries can both become a global leader in certain areas and be recognised as such.
However, the theory argues that the West relegates China to the lowest tier of a global hierarchy – likened to the Indian caste system – that was shaped by two centuries of British and American hegemony.
Some discussions on social media have generated claims that this viewpoint regards Germanic peoples as “first-class” global citizens, Latins and Slavs as “second” or “third-class” and Chinese as “fourth-class”.
The theory is now attracting academic attention, including a seminar held at Wuhan University in June, with participants from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Tsinghua University, who said it helped foster a vibrant intellectual discussion.
Yu Liang, assistant director and associate researcher at Fudan University’s Institute of China Studies in Shanghai, discussed the theory in an issue of the university’s quarterly Dongfang Journal devoted to the topic.
He wrote in his article that the journal aimed to bridge the gap between academic and popular discussions of the topic to “promote mutual learning and intellectual vitality”.
He also acknowledged that it was a sensitive topic amid an atmosphere of “increasing conservatism” – and said previous discussions about related topics had “caused trouble” for the institute.
China’s censorship regime typically deems political topics sensitive, but regulators often tolerate general comparisons between China and the US, especially when they bolster nationalism.
Since the defeats in the two opium wars in the mid-19th century, China has been keen to learn from Western technological advances and the country has made rapid economic progress since Deng Xiaoping began the policy of opening up in the late 1970s.
In 1989, the American academic Francis Fukuyama argued in his “end of history” thesis that Western liberal democracy and market economies represented the pinnacle of human governance, satisfying humanity’s need for freedom and recognition.
This view gained traction among Chinese public intellectuals and elites, who championed values such as individual liberty, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as well as criticising actions such as forced demolitions or the harsh treatment of beggars and street vendors by urban management officers.
But in the past decade or so such voices have been drowned out by the rise of younger online voices such as the so-called little pinks or wumao (50 cents) – named after the amount they are alleged to be paid for each online post – who fiercely defend the country against criticism and praise the government.
They have also targeted individuals accused of belittling China, such as a student who gave a graduation speech in which she joked about her hometown’s smog and praised American freedoms.
While there is no proof these groups are acting on direct instructions from the government, their actions have sometimes received public support from the authorities.
There has also been a move to counter criticisms that the country’s manufacturing industry largely produces cheap, low-quality goods.
This view has been made by some high-profile officials, including former premier Li Keqiang, who in 2015 bemoaned the quality of the country’s ballpoint pen tips.
Now a new group called the industrialists – mostly young men with scientific backgrounds – has emerged.


They celebrate the country’s advances in areas such as green energy and e-commerce, and argue its achievements have been unfairly dismissed in the West.
Supporters of the winology theory take this further, arguing that the Western denial of China’s successes stems from a caste-like perception that inherently devalues the country.
Some even claim the US itself is forming a caste-based society, with racial groups confined to specific roles – African-Americans in basketball or rap, Chinese in programming, Mexicans in manual labour and white liberals in finance and tech.
Yu argued that winologists saw these “stereotypes” as a proto-caste system that maintained stability by restricting social mobility.
They have also mocked President Donald Trump’s repeated claims he is delivering major policy “wins” for America.
Zhang Yongle, an associate professor at Peking University’s law school, wrote in the same issue of Dongfang Journal: “The decline of American hegemony and the rise of a multipolar world would encourage civilisations and nations to develop their own theories of winning.
“China’s performance-based winology could offer a vibrant, healthy narrative of triumphalism for a shared global future.”


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Supporters of the theory say that China’s successes are not being recognised because of a racialised, hierarchical view of the world


Supporters of the theory say that China’s successes are not being recognised because of a racialised, hierarchical view of the world.


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Wuhan University (China)

What is ‘winology’, the theory about unfair Western views of China, sweeping social media?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Supporters of the theory say that China’s successes are not being recognised because of a racialised, hierarchical view of the world

Supporters of the theory say that China’s successes are not being recognised because of a racialised, hierarchical view of the world