An Artistic Reinterpretation of China’s ‘Century of Humiliation’

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Credit Eddie Lam

When history intersects with nationalism, there is often little patience or appetite for nuance. Instead, broad brushstrokes are preferred. Take, for example, the period from the end of the First Opium War in 1842 to the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. This period — a time of wars, invasions, occupations and revolutions in China — is often summed up by Chinese political leaders as their country’s “century of humiliation.” Although more than six decades have passed, this narrative of “humiliation” at the hands of foreign powers continues to set the tone for China’s interaction with much of the outside world.