On a brisk December day, junior high school students in Fuzhou, southeast China, converged at a country park to study the thoughts of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Unfurling a red banner that declared their outing a "walking classroom of politics and ideology," they sought enlightenment by retracing the footsteps Xi took on his 2021 visit to the neighborhood, according to a state-affiliated local news outlet.
Another group of youngsters in the northern coastal city of Tianjin toured a fort to reflect on "the tragic history of Chinese people's resistance to foreign aggression."
The trips are part of a ramping up of nationalist education in China in recent years – now codified into a sweeping new law that came into effect earlier this week.
That "Patriotic Education Law," aimed at "enhancing national unity," mandates that love of the country and the ruling Chinese Communist Party be incorporated into work and study for everyone – from the youngest children to workers and professionals across all sectors.
It is meant to help China "unify thoughts" and "gather the strength of the people for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation," a Chinese propaganda official told a news briefing last month.
The push for a love of country and the Communist Party is far from new in China, where patriotism and propaganda have been an integral part of education, company culture and life since the People's Republic was founded nearly 75 years ago.
And Chinese nationalism has thrived under Xi, the country's most authoritarian leader in decades, who has pledged to "rejuvenate" China to a place of power and prominence globally and encouraged a combative, "wolf warrior" diplomacy amid rising tensions with the West.
Ultra-nationalism has flourished on social media, where anyone perceived as slighting China – from live-streamers and comedians to foreign brands – will face a fierce backlash and boycotts.
The new rules mark the latest expansion of Xi's efforts to deepen the party's presence in all aspects of public and private life.
But this time, they also follow years of stringent Covid-19 controls in China, which ended late in 2022 after young people across the country took to the streets in unprecedented protests against Xi's government and its rules.
They also come as the economy slumps and youth unemployment has reached a record high – raising the potential for more discontent.
Experts said Beijing may see the new legal framework as a way to drum up nationalism and consolidate power to ensure social stability amid the challenges ahead.
China has long relied on its people to buy into its vision like an unwritten "social contact," but it is now "in for a bumpy ride in the coming years," said Jonathan Sullivan, an associate professor specializing in Chinese politics at the University of Nottingham.
"There could be challenges to that if there's a protracted economic downturn … they're doing the work to make sure the politically correct way of thinking is completely locked down, consolidating beyond doubt that the party's way is the only way for China, and that if you love China, you ought to love the party," he said.
Find out how the patriotic curriculum will affect all walks of life.
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