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Sinicized |
Sinicization, Sinicisation or Sinification, (in Mandarin: 中国化 Zhōngguóhuà) is the linguistic assimilation or cultural assimilation of terms and concepts into the language and culture of China. In linguistics, the term is used narrowly to refer to transliteration, and in this regard "Sinicization" is parallel to Romanization.
In more general contexts, Sinicization refers to the process of "becoming Chinese"; the opposite process is becoming "not Chinese" (desinicization). The term has been used in social science primarily to describe the assimilation of non-Han Chinese peoples (such as the Manchus) into the Chinese identity.
More broadly, "Sinicization" also refers to the phenomenon whereby neighbouring cultures to China have been influenced by Chinese culture and language without being assimilated. Korea, Vietnam and Japan are examples of such a process.
"Sinicization", along with "De-sinization", "Taiwan-ization" and "localization", are political terms in Taiwan, most often used by various political parties to criticise the policies of their political opponents.
The government in Taiwan has in the past few decades been reportedly pursuing a program that promotes localization, as institutions and cultural policy were refocused towards a local more Taiwanese identity and away from an internationally Chinese identity which was promoted by the administration before the 1980s. Examples of this expressed policy include plans to increase the number of people with Taiwan ancestry in political circles and emphasizing variants of the Chinese language other than Standard Mandarin, especially Taiwanese Minnan.
"Desinicization" became a political term of attack after 2001 when the administration of President Chen Shui-bian extended the previous policy of localisation (emphasis on a Taiwanese local identity) to policies which his critics claimed were removing the broader Chinese identity, such as removing the name "China" from institutions such as the Chunghwa Post or the Central Bank of China in a campaign promoted as "Rectification of names". There was significant opposition to such moves, and the opponents often attacked such policies as "Desinicization". The more controversial of these policies were later reversed by Chen's successor, Ma Ying-jeou.
The use of "Sinicizataion" as a political term of attack arose in response to these charges of Desinicization. Supporters of Taiwan independence and other opponents of closer economic or political ties with mainland China have sometimes labelled policies aimed at closer cultural and economic ties with the mainland (such as the Three Links, as "Sinicization". Because this usage of the term pre-supposes that Taiwan is not already "Sinicized", its usage remains marginal. The more mainstream term of attack of such policies is "tongzhan", or "United Front", a reference to the Communist Party of China's strategy of influencing other political players to join its coalition. According to opponents, policies aimed at closer economic and cultural ties with mainland China are ultimately aimed at reunification of Taiwan with mainland China, a prospect that these opponents ultimately oppose.
Critics of government policy in Tibet regularly allege that Tibet is being "Sinicized". Because use of the term, which literally means "becoming Chinese", pre-supposes that Tibet is different to or separate from China, usage of the term pre-supposes a pre-independence position in the Tibetan sovereignty debate.
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