Chinese scholars have developed a strong interest in Carl Schmitt’s political and legal theories since the late 1990s. Schmitt has been discussed primarily with regard to the problems of sovereignty, constitutional limits to the suspension of laws, and the role of the CCP. However, Schmitt also dedicated a significant amount of writing to the concept of Volk (improperly translated as ‘nation’), and such concept has been the subject of a very limited secondary literature. The semantic area of Volk is highly relevant for Chinese nationalism, especially in the context of Xi Jinping’s policy (“The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”). I, therefore, explore the potential and limits of the Schmittian concept of Volk in this early 21st century Chinese context.