Globalization Versus Nationalism: Shaw's Trip to Shanghai

Shaw's trip to China in 1933 is as much a paradox as Shaw's character. On the one hand, ideologically, the Chinese tried to incorporate Shaw into their construction of nationalism and globalism. The playwright became part of the rhetoric specifically to protest against Japanese aggression and, in general, part of the discourse to counter imperialism. These are shown in the welcome the Chinese gave to Shaw. In this case, nationalism and globalization worked for each other. On the other hand, Shaw's actual arrival showed that everyday life might be quite different from expectations based on ideological constructions. The Chinese could not fit what the real Shaw did and said into their rhetoric of nationalism and globalism; the playwright eluded or defied construction. Consequently, to safeguard their cultural integrity, the Chinese reacted against Shaw. Nationalism and globalization began to work against each other.

I shall pay special attention to the preparation for and report on Shaw's visit by the Shanghai newspaper, the Chinese Shenbao. The quotations marked with an asterisk* are my translations, and many probably have never before been translated into English.

Globalization and Nationalism

Nationalism and globalization work both for and against each other. On the one hand, nationalism complements globalization, for nations together form the global context. Johann P. Arnason writes: "Nation and nation-states do not simply interact with each other, under modern conditions, they form—or tend to form—a world, i.e., a global context with its own processes and mechanisms of integration." ² Globalization also fosters nationalism and awakens the sense of the national. Arnason continues: "The differentiating impact of globalization strengthens or reactivates national identities, communities and projections . . . national differentiation as the obverse of the constitution of a world society." ³

On the other hand, nationalism and globalization may also work against each other. As Arnason notes, nationalism hampers globalization: "Within the world of nations, the nations have a more or less pronounced tendency to become worlds in their own right, and in this capacity, they also face the task of coming to terms with the other lines of differentiation which are built into the global condition. This means a sub—or counter—globalization, centering on the nation and the nation-state." ⁴

The active interaction between the national and the global helps to construct national identity. The sense of the national is augmented through reference to the global by mapping the national within a global context. In this process, on the one hand, a nation can work out its affinity to other societies and locate itself within a global culture. On the other hand, it can work out its difference from other societies and thus work out what is characteristic to itself. Roland Robertson writes: "The ways in which national societies . . . have at one and the same time attempted to learn from others, and sustain a sense of identity—or, alternatively, isolate themselves from the pressures of contact—also contribute an important aspect of the creation of global culture." ⁵

These tensions between nationalism and globalization, between contact and isolation, are evident in Shaw's trip to China in February 1933. This essay will present that trip from three perspectives: first, Shaw's lukewarm attitude toward the trip; second, his attitude juxtaposed with the warm Chinese expectations of the great British writer; and third, the cool response of the Chinese after Shaw's visit. The reality of Shaw's presence stimulated Chinese writers to be more conscious of China's difference and identity. This exemplifies Robertson's assertion that "national-societal cultures have been differentially formed in interpenetration with significant others." ⁶ Contact with the global culture eventually fosters the construction of national identity. Mike Featherstone states: "It is . . . misleading to conceive a global culture as necessarily entailing a weakening of the sovereignty of nation-states which . . . will necessarily be absorbed into larger units and eventually a world...