Chinese History In The Early The 20th Century Transformation

This thesis examines the transformation of Chinese historical paradigm against the change of social pattern during the first three decades of the twentieth century from the angle of history and logic. This transformation was a revolution from tradition to the modernity.Chapters 1 to 3 trace the course of the historical paradigm in modern China. The evolution and development of society made it necessary to establish "New history" which would fit in with the social needs in modem times. The paradigm of Chinese traditional historiography, which built on the foundations of the culture of the Feudalist Caesarism, could not fit in with modern social needs, so it got into a difficult corner and had to renovate itself. The change of the era called "new history" and offered the condition for its progress. Wu-Xu thoughts of "save the nation from extinction" and "enlightenment" promoted the trend of "history revolution". New historical conception needed to acclimatize itself to the political reform. New style-schoolbooks about Chinese history appeared and changed the mode of the traditional history-books. After the 1911 Revolution, the trend of returning to the ancients slowed to certain extent, the pace of new history, but it offered a chance for scholars to think the relations of the tradition and the modernity. During the New Culture movement Chinese history, which experienced difficulties in looking for a new paradigm in reform of history, entered into a period that entirely constructed the paradigm of modern history, with the help of more communication between China and West and the political and academic freedom. New scholars trained in the New Culture Movement used for reference Western new conceptions and digged the Chinese traditional sources, and actively inquired into the theories and methods of modern historiography and put them into the practice of historical study. At last, they constructed a new paradigm of modern historical study.Chapters 4 to 7 particularly analyze the developmental route inside the system of the historical theory. Chinese historical transformation from the traditional to the modern involved a change or renovation of historical conceptions, the purpose, content and methods of research, historiographical stylebook, and so on. Firstly, Chinese scholars adopted new theories of Western history for reference, clarified the concepts about history, introduced the historical philosophy and new historical conceptions from West, and established the History Subject in the sense of modern historiography. Secondly, they rethought or animadvert on the purpose, function, objects and content of traditional historical research, and established a new system of history that emphasized the present' and people' life in order to serve the ordinary people, not only recording the past but also to taking up the task of probing into the rule of historical development. Thirdly, they introduced new methods from the West and changed or improved the traditional methods, and established new conception on using new scientific methods in historical study, and constructed a new system of historical methods. Lastly, they substituted new conceptions on historical materials for the old, and changed the old modes of expression and historical stylebooks. So new historical stylebooks were introduced and historical modes of expression were enriched.