The Debate of "Left-Right": An Empirical Study of Political Orientation in China

While the division between "left" and "right" informs international political discourse, the unique historical and cultural background of Chinese society has led to a different understanding of these concepts there. This article focuses on Chinese political orientation and citizens' attitudes towards various political issues, portraying the political environment in China under the framework of "left-right" politics. This study reveals that, unlike the differences between the left and right in the West, Chinese people do not see obvious differences in their position towards egalitarianism, but they detect apparent attitudinal differences on issues like the conceptualisations of freedom, political systems and national identity. The thesis of this study is that the left-right divergence in China is contingent on whether Chinese people support the current political system.