The Dragon and the Dove:
Nation-Statism and Catholic-Protestant Christianity in China Today
by HE Guanghu
October 7, 2010
On October 7th, Professor HE Guanghu was invited to Purdue to give a lecture titled “The Dragon and The Dove: Nation-Statism and Catholic-Protestant Christianity in China Today”.
In his lecture, Professor He made a very important distinction between two concepts: “nationalism” and “statism”. Unlike normal nationalism, statism is often manipulated and distorted by the government. According to him, it is statism that has motivated those “selective” patriotic actions by Chinese youth in recent years.
The dragon, as Professor He clarified, is exactly the totem of this statism. Though often calling themselves as “descendants of the dragon”, most Chinese have forgotten two facts. First, the dragon was only the token of the emperors. Second, the dragon was originally a man-eating evil monster. For about 1200 years since the first entrance, Christianity in China has experienced dramatic ups and downs, which, according to Professor He, were strongly related to the fluctuations of statism. In fact, the relationship between Christianity and statism is quite negative.
Professor He further suggested that, for Chinese churches in opposition to statism, the best symbol of nation should be the dove, especially the flock of doves. The dove appears weak and not rival to the dragon. But the dove without ambiguity symbolizes peace and harmony, which is valued by Chinese culture and all the human being. If Chinese want to send a message to the world, it should be the dove rather than the dragon.
Professor HE Guanghu is Professor of Religious Studies and Christian Studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing. Professor He is also among the 303 original signatories of the Charter 08.
龙与鸽：当代中国国权主义与基督宗教
何光沪
中国人民大学
2010年10月7日
2010年10月7日，中国人民大学佛教与宗教学理论研究所何光沪教授应邀在普度大学进行演讲，题为“龙与鸽：当代中国国权主义与基督宗教”。
何光沪教授区分了“民族主义”（nationalism）与“国权主义”（statism）这两个重要概念。不同于正常的民族主义，国权主义往往受到政府的操纵与扭曲。恰恰是这种国权主义，引发了中国近年来一系列选择性的爱国行动。
何教授认为，龙正是这一国权主义的图腾。尽管许多中国人都自称“龙的传人”，但是他们忘记了两个事实：第一，龙仅仅是帝王的标志；第二，龙原本是一种吃人的恶兽。
自首次传入约1200年来，基督宗教在中国经历了极大的起伏。何教授认为，这与国权主义的波动紧密相连。事实上，基督宗教与国权主义之间，存在着逆关联。
何教授进而建议，对于反抗国权主义的中国基督教会而言，最好的民族象征，应当是鸽，尤其是鸽群。鸽看似弱小，似乎不能与龙匹敌，但却象征着“和”—和平与和谐，这既是中国传统文化的精髓，也是普世价值的提倡。与龙相比，鸽将是中国向世界传递的更好的讯息。
何光沪教授也是《08宪章》的首批303名签署者之一。