The Chinese state has been the subject of fierce debates since reformers and revolutionaries first fought to redefine it at the end of the Qing dynasty. After the 1912 Revolution, when the idea of "empire" gave way to that of "nation-state," the Chinese people sought a modern identity, re-designed their governance system and re-wrote their history. Revolution (geming) became the source of the legitimacy that the new leaders defended in a world based on state sovereignty. They soon found the task of reconciling their republic with the political culture they inherited extraordinarily difficult....