This research project aims to study the making of far-right populism in China at the societal level and its relations with the state. I have worked on the conceptual and theoretical framework during the research period. The research literature has explored the causes and consequences of the rise of populism (especially far-right populism) in American and European politics. 

However, I find that populism in China can be very different from the Western context. First, populism as a thought or ideology does exist in Chinese society, although they hardly play an independent role in politics. Second, the state itself usually employs populist discourse as a way to justify its political representativeness. This is called “official populism.” Third, due to historical reasons, the definition of “left” and “right” in the Chinese context is confusing, and their meaning has some significant differences with the West. 

Such preliminary findings are meaningful the future study of this topic. The future research can be more focused on 1) the official populism and/or 2) far-right popular nationalism.