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Privacy in Modern China
Author(s) -
McDougall Bonnie S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
history compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.121
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1478-0542
DOI - 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2004.00097.x
Subject(s) - subjectivity , individualism , rhetoric , china , property (philosophy) , internet privacy , information privacy , private property , private life , state (computer science) , political science , psychology , sociology , law and economics , business , law , computer science , epistemology , philosophy , linguistics , algorithm , human rights
Despite a common belief that ‘the Chinese’ have no concept of privacy, there is a well‐established tradition of private property and privacy values in traditional and modern China. In the twentieth century, rhetoric on the public good generally prevailed over individualism and subjectivity, but privacy practices, especially within the family, persisted despite the state's intrusions into private life. Both privacy and private property were re‐evaluated in the post‐Mao era, giving rise to a new appreciation of privacy functions and values.