What is the Name of This Land? — Discussions on My Views and Suggestions for the Entire Pro-Independence Community

In this article, I want to discuss the issues and considerations regarding concept selection and communication strategy in the Northeast independence movement. As people from the Northeast (Dongbei), what we pursue is self-subjectivity and the right to regional self-determination, which is also the core starting point of pro-independence thought. However, in practice, the use of concepts like “Dongbei” and “Manchuria” often causes controversy and division both within and outside the community. This article will combine the current realities to discuss my views on these concepts, and why the continued use of the “Dongbei” concept at this stage might be more beneficial for the movement’s development.

The ideological policy of abandoning the “Central Plains centrism and giving up the Dongbei concept” does indeed help raise the self-subjectivity of Northeast people and promote the regional self-determination movement. Consequently, ideas emphasizing Manchuria, and even Manchurian centrism, have emerged. Online topics based on these ideas have gradually heated up and even formed a community culture. Overall, this is definitely progress, but we still have some problems that, if not addressed, could seriously hinder the development of pro-independence forces.

First, regarding the enlightenment work for our unawakened compatriots behind the Great Firewall. We’ve noticed that while the ideas of Manchuria and Manchurian centrism bring self-subjectivity, they also cause some negative effects. For example, they bring up negative associations: when Manchuria is mentioned, it makes compatriots behind the Great Firewall recall “Manchukuo” (the Puppet State of Manchuria), “Northeast people are not allowed to eat rice,” and “being a traitor” — claims that are extremely hostile to the Chinese mainstream values. Northeast people originally didn’t eat rice (the indigenous people ate sorghum, millet, and soybeans; Shandong immigrants ate wheat-based foods; eating rice originated with the Korean influx into the Northeast, developed during Manchukuo, and became widespread after the Reform and Opening Up; the genetics of Northeast rice do not lie). Using current dietary habits to flog history shows the extreme cleverness of the Chinese ruling class’s propaganda methods. As a result, we see that in the process of bringing the word Manchuria behind the Great Firewall, it has been met with resistance from both “little pinks” (fierce nationalists) and the fence-sitters. Even people who support Northeast independence dare not show their heads. This is not necessarily a problem with the concept of Manchuria. With the Chinese government being so powerful now, can a simple phrase “Manchuria independence” really make the populace follow you? Admittedly, the educational level in our pro-independence circles is very high. A considerable number of people are talented and knowledgeable, starting at a bachelor’s degree, with masters degrees everywhere, and even some with doctorates… but everyone also tends to be overly concerned with theoretical “correctness”—in plain terms, splitting hairs. When the government has utterly discredited the concept of Manchuria while continuously brainwashing our Northeast compatriots, directly confronting the current mainstream ideology is unwise