As scholars and publics look for alternatives to what is understood as a violent Western world order, many claim that China can provide such an alternative through the Chinese dream of a harmonious world.

Astrid H. M. Nordin is a Lecturer in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University, UK

The Chinese dream of a harmonious world: a story of appearance and disappearance 1. Policy discourse under Hu Jintao: doing and undoing things with words in Chinese politics 2. Chinese academic discourse: reinventing a hierarchical world order 3. Propaganda at the Shanghai Expo: foreclosing futures and simulating Chinese world leadership 4. Online spoofs under harmonisation: complicating cooperation and resistance 5. Xi Jinping's Chinese dream: dreaming away the harmonious world. Concluding remarks: dreaming of future harmonies and multiplicities