This paper focuses on a discussion of Zou Rong's ideas, including his theory about race and its historical sources, his arguments about the differences between the Han race and the Manchus, and his admiration of other "civilized" peoples. By means of inter-textual analysis, this paper elucidates the close affinity between his theory of race and those of Liang Qichao and the Japanese scholar Kuwabara Jitsuzo, and how Zou Rong appropriated and combined these ideas in order to formulate his own theory. Subsequently, with reference to Peter Zarrow's study on the emotional aspects of the anti-Manchu discourse, this paper investigates how Zou Rong appealed to collective memory, using "victimization narratives" to mobilize the Han people to rebel against the Manchus, who were defined by him as "brutal" and a constant enemy throughout history. On the other hand, Zou Rong very much admired western people and the Japanese who, through his eyes, became paradigms for the Han people. In short, Zou utilized the legend of the Yellow Emperor to define the Han people as a "civilized" people, while repeatedly emphasizing the brutal history of how the Manchus, as the barbarian "other", had repeatedly slaughtered the Han people. Zou's ideas, especially his "victimization narratives", have had a lasting influence on the modern discourse of Chinese national identity. Careful analysis and reflection on this legacy undoubtedly remains a great challenge to the study of modern Chinese intellectual and cultural history.