Turkey-China Online Clash: History and Nationalism

In October 2026, Turkish and Chinese netizens clashed on social media in a large-scale online dispute over historical narratives, national identity and geopolitics. The confrontation was not random. It reflects the long-standing influence of Turkish History Thesis and Pan-Turkism in Turkey’s digital age. For travelers and residents, understanding this background helps make sense of nationalist sentiment in Turkish society.

A historian’s bold claims

One focus of the dispute is the work of Ottoman historian Süleyman Paşa, described as the first person to write Turkic history based on Chinese sources. His method was freewheeling: he linked Modu Chanyu, the Xiongnu leader, to Oghuz Khan, the greatest hero-ancestor in Turkic mythology. He argued, for example, that the Old Chinese reconstruction of “Modu” resembles the Turkic/Mongolic baγtur, meaning hero. But baγtur was a very common name or title on the steppe, as seen in Mongol names such as Baatar and Batur.

Similarly, Oghuz Khan’s six sons and 24 grandsons are said to match the 24 senior military and political posts of the Xiongnu in the Shiji. But those posts were commanders of ten-thousand-horse units, not bloodline tribes. Both Xiongnu and Turkic armies used decimal organization, but that was basic steppe military practice. Modu killed his father to seize power, and some legends say Oghuz Khan did something similar. Yet fathers and sons killing each other for power was common on the steppe, and “the young hero kills his father” is a widespread motif in Eurasian folklore. Such arguments start from a conclusion, search backward for similar fragments, and then fix them in place through authoritative citation. The logic does not hold.

From history to nation-building

In the late Ottoman Empire, this view of history offered scholars psychological comfort in the face of Western pressure. After the modern Turkish republic was founded, it was upgraded into the Turkish History Thesis (Türk Tarih Tezi) to cut ties with Ottoman and Islamic history. The thesis claimed that all civilizations originated in Central Asia; that Turks were the earliest civilization and were white; that climate change drove Turks to migrate globally and create Chinese, Indian, Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations; that all languages derive from Turkish (the Sun Language Theory); that ancient Anatolians were also Turks; and that the 11th-century Seljuk move west was a return, not an invasion. The theory was once written into textbooks. Although later revised and softened, its ideas remain deeply embedded in Turkish nationalist narratives.

Pan-Turkism spills over

Once nation-building was complete, this historical mythology inevitably spilled outward and evolved into a political movement with territorial and geopolitical demands: Pan-Turkism. In the social media era, such narratives are easily simplified and emotionalized, and become ammunition for online disputes. Turkish netizens may cite the history thesis to defend national pride, while Chinese netizens are upset by the parts involving Chinese history. Without sufficient historical knowledge, both sides easily fall into a stalemate of talking past each other.

What it means for travelers

For those traveling or living in Turkey, this dispute is a reminder: nationalist sentiment in Turkish society has historical roots and is not aimed at individuals. In daily conversation, avoid raising sensitive historical topics, respect local feelings, and keep critical thinking without being swept up by online emotion. Understanding this narrative logic can also help residents read the subtext in Turkish news, education and everyday talk.

This online conflict will eventually fade, but the questions of historical narrative and national identity it reflects will remain in Turkish society for a long time. As outsiders, we might ask ourselves: when facing different historical memories, how do we keep dialogue rather than confrontation?

Source: Zhihu https://www.zhihu.com/question/2096067176604111062/answer/2097383276029678184?utm_medium=openapi_platform&utm_source=b38f6831b176