Overview

What is the meaning of love in modern Chinese politics? Why has ai . (love) been a crucial political discourse for secular nationalism for generations of political leaders as a powerful instrument to the present day? This book offers the first systematic examination of the ways in which the notion of love has been introduced, adapted, and engineered as a political discourse for the building and rebuilding of a secular modern nation, all the while appropriating Confucianism, Christianity, popular religion, ghost stories, political religion, and their religious affects. The insights of this exploration expand not only the discussion of the role of emotions in the project of Chinese modernity, but also the study of affective governance and religious nationalisms around the world today.

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Reviews

""Why is love, ai, in modern and contemporary China always political? Ting Guo’s elegant analysis of the varieties of love invoked by Chinese leaders and thinkers over the last century is revelatory. From universal love through filial affection, revolutionary ardour, love of country and love of leader, a political religion of love has been effectively mobilised to forge solidarity, loyalty and patriotism. For everyone interested in how power permeates Chinese society, this is essential reading!"" – Francesca Bray, Professor Emerita, Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh “Guo’s book convincingly and eruditely demonstrates how love has been used as a universal adaptor in modern China to facilitate vastly different political ideologies and attract people's emotional identification. Love has been used to form divergent spiritual-political discourses, which sailed on different political cultures smoothly, or embarrassingly. This ambitious book introduces religious analysis and affect theories to modern Chinese political history, giving us a fresh and provocative perspective to understand the proximity between love, religion, and politics.” – Pang Laikwan, Choh-Ming Li Professor and Chairperson of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong ""Ting Guo has proved herself an impossible scholar to pigeon-hole, writing insightfully on topics ranging from religious beliefs to social movements with a philosopher's eye, a gender specialist's concerns and a cultural historian's sensibility. Her varied talents come together very nicely indeed in this book. The result is spirited and illuminating exploration of the many meanings and varied uses of terms for 'love' and familial metaphors in Chinese political discourses from the days of Sun Yat-sen and Song Qingling in the last century to the time of Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan in this one."" – Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History, UC Irvine ""As Guo deftly notes, ai, or love, is a political construct that is central to the development of modern Chinese nationalism, yet it remains poorly understood. By tracing ideas about love and affect more broadly within the tangled history of Chinese nationalism, this timely and insightful study helps us to better understand how and why nationalism remains a powerful force that circumscribes and drives expressions of political emotion in China today."" – Gina Anne Tam, Associate Professor of History, Trinity University, San Antonio “In the process, Guo also makes a vital contribution to conversations taking place in fields like affect theory and history of emotions… Passing beyond the simplistic claim that language and affect operate on separate tracks, she proposes to examine the way love is mobilized through discourse in the full spectrum of post-imperial Chinese history.” – Donovan O. Schaefer, Associate Professor of Religious University of Pennsylvania for Journal of the American Academy of Religion ''Guo’s work offers a unique and comprehensive history of love in Chinese political language over the past century.'' – Sonya E. Pritzker The China Quarterly , (2025), 1–2

""Why is love, ai, in modern and contemporary China always political? Ting Guo’s elegant analysis of the varieties of love invoked by Chinese leaders and thinkers over the last century is revelatory. From universal love through filial affection, revolutionary ardour, love of country and love of leader, a political religion of love has been effectively mobilised to forge solidarity, loyalty and patriotism. For everyone interested in how power permeates Chinese society, this is essential reading!"" – Francesca Bray, Professor Emerita, Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh “Guo’s book convincingly and eruditely demonstrates how love has been used as a universal adaptor in modern China to facilitate vastly different political ideologies and attract people's emotional identification. Love has been used to form divergent spiritual-political discourses, which sailed on different political cultures smoothly, or embarrassingly. This ambitious book introduces religious analysis and affect theories to modern Chinese political history, giving us a fresh and provocative perspective to understand the proximity between love, religion, and politics.” – Pang Laikwan, Choh-Ming Li Professor and Chairperson of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong ""Ting Guo has proved herself an impossible scholar to pigeon-hole, writing insightfully on topics ranging from religious beliefs to social movements with a philosopher's eye, a gender specialist's concerns and a cultural historian's sensibility. Her varied talents come together very nicely indeed in this book. The result is spirited and illuminating exploration of the many meanings and varied uses of terms for 'love' and familial metaphors in Chinese political discourses from the days of Sun Yat-sen and Song Qingling in the last century to the time of Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan in this one."" – Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History, UC Irvine ""As Guo deftly notes, ai, or love, is a political construct that is central to the development of modern Chinese nationalism, yet it remains poorly understood. By tracing ideas about love and affect more broadly within the tangled history of Chinese nationalism, this timely and insightful study helps us to better understand how and why nationalism remains a powerful force that circumscribes and drives expressions of political emotion in China today."" – Gina Anne Tam, Associate Professor of History, Trinity University, San Antonio

Author Information

Ting GUO is Assistant Professor of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong and book reviewer editor for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. She co-hosts a podcast called .. in-betweeness (@shichapodcat).

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