Modern Use of The Term
| This section does not cite any references or sources. |
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
Famous quotes containing the words modern and/or term:
“If you look at the 150 years of modern China’s history since the Opium Wars, then you can’t avoid the conclusion that the last 15 years are the best 15 years in China’s modern history.”
—J. Stapleton Roy (b. 1935)
“There’s no term to the work of a scientist.”
—Walter Reisch (1903–1963)