"Suisheng Zhao's book is the new standard in the field for studies of Chinese nationalism, is a very important contribution to the comparative politics' nationalism literature in general, and should be a part of the discussion about China's rise given the role of nationalism in debates about Chinese foreign policy."
Journal of Asian Studies "Suisheng Zhao adds this thorough and illuminating study to his previous work on the People's Republic of China....Throughout the book Zhao shows an admirable breadth of understanding of both Western and Chinese writings about nationalism."
China Review International "In this very significant addition to the scholarly literature on Chinese nationalism, Suisheng Zhao provides a lucid and detailed history of the emergence of the idea of the Chinese nation....A Nation State by Construction is an important book. It is based on a wealth of research, and cogently argued."
Asian Studies Review "Zhao's study provides us with a rich and empirically supported nomenclature through which to describe the phenotypical expressions of Chinese nationalism."
H-Net "In this major work, Zhao examines the concept of nationalism in the context of modern Chinese history, exhibiting a total command of a huge body of literature by both Chinese and Western scholars."
Lucien W. Pye
Foreign Affairs