“The May Fourth Movement: The Intellectual Revolution of Modern China” is based on the doctoral dissertation of the American scholar Chow Tse-tsung, and is still one of the best works on the May Fourth Movement.
Interestingly, when Chow Tse-tsung initially reported his doctoral dissertation topic at the University of Michigan, his advisor did not quite agree with the topic, on the grounds that “is it worth writing a doctoral dissertation for a student BAO movement?”
It was to address this doubt of his advisor that Chow Tse-tsung proposed the distinction between the narrow and broad senses of the May Fourth Movement, which was later written into the opening part of the book.
The narrow sense of the May Fourth Movement refers to the event of Chinese students protesting and parading in Beijing on May 4, 1919; the broad sense of the May Fourth Movement is a collection of complex events in China between 1917 and 1921, including the New Culture Movement, student movements, strikes, boycotts of Japanese goods, and various political and social reforms advocated by new intellectuals. This series of events was triggered by two factors: one was the patriotic enthusiasm aroused by the “Twenty-One Demands” and the Shandong Resolution; the other was the intellectuals’ advocacy of learning from the West, hoping to re-evaluate Chinese traditions based on science and democracy in order to build a new China.
The May Fourth Movement was not a single, unchanging, and tightly organized movement, but rather a confluence of complex activities dominated by many ideas. Therefore, no political party or individual is qualified to claim that he single-handedly instigated and brewed the May Fourth Movement.
Nowadays, people often say that the May Fourth Movement was a patriotic movement, which is true. “Patriotism” is indeed the basic driving force of the May Fourth Movement, but “patriotism” has also been a common sentiment of Chinese intellectuals since the late nineteenth century, not a unique characteristic of the May Fourth Movement. Moreover, the patriotism of the May Fourth Movement, while having the spirit of community to save the nation and preserve its existence, is still individualistic and liberal in its underlying tone, which is very different from the patriotism of collectivism and authoritarianism.
So, what is the unique characteristic or spirit of the May Fourth Movement? In the author’s view, the true spirit of the May Fourth Movement is not just simple patriotism, but the belief in the supremacy of the people’s will, the supremacy of the people’s rights, and the awakening of thought. The purpose of the May Fourth Movement was not only to overthrow the warlord rule, nor was it limited to diplomatic issues, but rather a broader social and ideological change: to destroy the old social, ideological, and political idols, and to build a more equal, more free, and more modern civilized society.
In essence, the May Fourth Movement was actually a rebellion of new intellectuals against the ruling forces. The new intellectuals raised the banner of righteousness against traditional ideas, systems, and habits, as well as the interests of landlords and bureaucrats. Their propositions were supported by citizens, workers, merchants, and industrialists.
In this process of social change, the ideological changes produced by the people, especially the young intellectuals, were remarkable. Traditional ethical principles and dogmas were shattered, and idols and authorities trembled in the face of the movement’s impact. Although the conservatives later tried their best to maintain them, the reputation of the old traditions was already in decline and could no longer be restored. Enthusiasm for new things replaced the worship of old things. New standards began to form, and the outlook on life and the world of the intellectual class and even all social classes were expanded and changed.
China’s news and public opinion circles also made great progress after the May Fourth Incident. The newspapers and magazines after the May Fourth Movement improved greatly in technology and content, and their rapid growth was unprecedented in Chinese history. The number of readers increased significantly, and the government and the public paid more attention to them than ever before.
At the same time, popular education was expanded, and other educational reforms began to be implemented, and the lives and academic research of general intellectuals were significantly improved. Due to the May Fourth Movement, more and more schools taught modern knowledge, and vocational training in industry began to establish closer ties with the national industry. Students and teachers established a large number of societies, and social and academic activities increased significantly, and scientific methods and attitudes were widely introduced and adopted.
Along with the ideological and academic changes were social reforms. After the May Fourth Movement, the traditional family system began to decline, and people increasingly demanded marriage based on love. Chinese youth strove to protect their personality and rights in society, and worked hard to break through the old family and clan systems. The status of women was improved, and they began to be liberated from the shackles of traditional ethics, society, and politics.
At the same time, the May Fourth Movement also had an impact on China’s political process, creating favorable conditions for the adoption of new political principles and the establishment of new party organizations. Since then, closer ties have been established between political parties and the masses, especially young intellectuals, and more emphasis has been placed on social issues in programs and policies. The consciousness of China as a nation-state has been enhanced, while warlordism, authoritarianism, and imperialism have become widely attacked targets and have been spurned by the public.
The tendency of the May Fourth Movement deeply influenced the development of China’s thought, society, and politics in the following decades. After the May Fourth Movement, new intellectuals continued to demand modern science and culture, a government that could ensure the equality of all ethnic groups in a multi-ethnic country, individual liberation, and the advocacy of democracy and independent thinking. Although it was later blocked by the trend of emphasizing “individual obedience to the organization,” its far-reaching impact should not be underestimated. The seeds of breaking idols sown in people’s minds by the May Fourth Movement cannot be easily removed, and democracy has won a high reputation in people’s hearts. Since then, even those who strongly oppose democracy can only adopt a roundabout approach.
Of course, the May Fourth Movement also has its shortcomings. When the reformers criticized China’s old traditions, few people had made a fair or sympathetic examination of them. This led to the neglect or avoidance of many of the essence of Confucianism and tradition. On the other hand, the new intellectuals were too credulous of new ideas imported from foreign countries, often talking about empty “isms” and deviating from practice.
Today, looking back at the broad sense of the May Fourth Movement, most people would say that democracy and science are its most important legacies to us. However, as Mr. Yu Yingshi said, although the two gentlemen, Mr. De and Mr. Sai, have long been naturalized, they have not yet universally settled down and established their careers in the land of China. “Science” in China is mainly manifested as “technology,” which is “art” rather than “dao,” and the scientific spirit of science for the sake of truth has not yet been fully established; the status of democracy is “respected” but not “intimate.” Therefore, the May Fourth Movement has not yet been completed.
In my opinion, the most important real legacy of the May Fourth Movement is the active political participation of the general public, the resistance to existing authority, the yearning for new things, and the pursuit of individual equality and freedom. This is the May Fourth spirit that is most worth cherishing, and it is also the spirit that is still urgently needed today.
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