Modern Use of The Term
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Because of the dominance of Han Chinese culture in China, the terms 'Han' and 'Chinese' are virtually equivalent to each other. Therefore, in modern use, hanjian may refer to any Chinese person who betrays the Chinese, regardless of the person's nationality, political affiliation, ethnicity (Han Chinese or others), or cultural background.
Hanjian is a more specific term than the generic "traitor" because a hanjian collaborates with an external power which is neither Han nor Chinese, whereas a traitor collaborates with any enemy. During the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950), the Nationalists and Communists accused each other of being hanjians collaborating with the Americans and Soviets respectively.
Read more about this topic: Hanjian
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