Abstract
Updating the Consensus Ralph Croizier's classic study has shown that the colorful and eventful lives of the Zhengs, and the ambiguity of their actions, provide rich material from which to construct different legacies for the sake of conflicting political agendas. [...]the nineteenth century, the Qing officially viewed the Zhengs as rebels and pirates acting against central authority. Chenggong and Jing, on the other hand, received praise as solitary ministers (glichen) whose diehard loyalty to the rulers of a fallen dynasty exceeded their filial piety. Conclusion At its heart, this article speaks of nation-building and the construction of na- tional narratives as ongoing, mutually reinforcing, and multilateral processes.