Trend Of Chinese Liberalism Of The 20th Century

Chinese liberalism is one of China’s three major trends of thought in twentieth Century. Its emergence and evolution linked closely with Chinese history of the twentieth century. It is a product of internal changes factors in traditional Chinese society and Western stimulation combined with, is one of ideological trend of the pursuit of Chinese modernization.Chinese traditional culture is rich with free thought, but compared with the recent political liberalism, it is different. The Confucian emphasis on subjective consciousness and moral freedom, the Taoist pursuit nature, Buddhism emphasizes subjective consciousness, the spirit of freedom. The modern liberalism emphasizes individual freedom, rights, rational autonomy showing the modern. But the free thought in Chinese traditional culture contributes a lot to make up for lack of Western political liberalism, has important value in the modern society.With the development of capitalism, the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty early Enlightenment gave birth to the abundant freedom of thought. The freedom of thought is different from the traditional, show some modernity, there are similarities with modern ideas of freedom, reflects the modern concept of freedom is gradually formed in the struggle against tyranny, but with modern freedom gap exists, the early Enlightenment has not formed the system of core concept of modern political philosophy. But this is the Chinese traditional social internal requirement of important factors of modern.Since early nineteenth Century of Western learning, Western thought continue to enter China, freedom, democracy, parliamentary, rights and other modern concept gradually took root in China, modern freedom is the basis of modern Chinese thought trends growth in early twentieth Century, including liberalism is included. Yan Fu, Liang Qichao played an important role in the spread of western liberalism ideological trend in china.At the end of nineteenth Century and early twentieth Century, the reformists main spread the British and American liberalism, the revolutionaries propagate the Europe liberalism with Rousseau as the representative of the revolutionary liberalism, they are obvious differences between in the view of freedom and the mode of social transformation. The two western liberalism tradition has spread and has been extended to the May4th Movement period in the Xin Hai Revolution Eve, after a part into the Marx doctrine, some continue to adhere to the progressive improvement of liberalism, Hu Shi is a typical representative of the latter. After the May4th movement, the British and American liberalism spread widely in China, produced a large number of liberals by influence of Dewey and Laski, and through the new culture movement, the vernacular movement, twenty--forty years of debate,"the endeavor ","modern comment","new moon ","independent review ","observation" as the position to talk about human rights, to talk about political thoughts, and even the forty time the establishment of political party, for example China Democratic League, these constitute the multiple aspects of liberalism. Hu Shi and Chu Anping is a typical representative in the thought and the influence.Chinese liberalism during the period of Republic of China was different from the liberalism before the Xin Hai Revolution, Yan Fu received the classical liberalism, but Hu Shi received the new liberalism, and to some extent by the influence of socialism, such as economic democracy has stressed in forties. Forty’s liberals, through public opinion or the establishment of political party,hope to avoid civil war, run "the third road", but with Chinese Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, liberalism also flower briefly as the broad-leaved epiphyllum.In twentieth Century five and sixty years, Taiwan has started the liberal group with the criticism of Jiang Jieshi’s dictatorship, publicity of freedom and democracy, and "free China" as the position,the characters is Hu Shi, Yin haiguang, Xia Daoping et al. Yin Haiguang was greatly influenced by Hayek’s liberal ideas, and Xia Daoping spread the liberal economic thought. Yin Haiguang raised his reflection of liberalism and Chinese traditional culture, and liberalism itself, his student, Lin Yusheng, Zhang Hao, Chen guying continued to reflect. Liberalism in Taiwan promotes the democratization process in Taiwan. With the implementation of the open reform policy and the socialist market economy, the late nineteen ninties, there appeared a new liberalism, the main representative is Li Shenzhi, Xu Youyu, they interpret the core concepts of freedom, democracy and liberalism through debate with the new left.Understanding of liberalism, freedom and democracy, different times liberals have different characteristics, such as Yan Fu, Liang Qichao stressed the importance of economic liberalism, but most of the period of Republic of China liberals stressed economic democracy, government should take some measures to promote the most people’s happiness. During the same period Liberals have the same point, is not the same, such as the period of Republic of China the most liberals emphasizes economic democracy, but they are obviously different from democracy, dictatorship and political parties, Hu Shi made it clear that implement democratic politics, but oppose Party Politics, and Jiang Tingfu advocated despotism, Zhang Foquan stressed the importance of the role of political parties in modern politics. A liberal also has the life changes with the understanding of democracy, freedom, such as Hu Shi once pointed out that the socialism can correct the liberalism, is the future of the world, but the50time he confess. The process is embodied by Yin Haiguang’s understanding of liberalism can. This indicates that the study of Chinese liberalism must study the representative as the core, by Yan Fu, Liang Qichao, Hu Shi, Yin Haiguang, Chu anping, show thought deepening process.The construction of a modern state is a relentless pursuit of liberals. In twentieth Century the Chinese liberal national view has experienced the evolution of national organism, positive state to the theory of national instrument, is obviously different from the Marx doctrine and the Nationalists view of the state. In the traditional view, modern Chinese liberalism experienced tortuous evolution by Yan Fu, Hu Shi, Yin Haiguang and Lin Yusheng, by questioning, criticism to rational reflection. Liberals argue that the traditional and the modern are different, but the tradition is roots of liberalism production. The traditional culture has similar contents to modern liberal thought, liberalism theoretical advances and their traditional view promote each other, but they observe the tradition with rights, democracy, scientific spirit, and the mode of transformation tradition, this point is criticized and challenged by the cultural conservatism and the Marxism.Liberalism in China in twentieth Century have been influenced by Western thought, but because of China’s special historical background, time subject and the national culture, those makes that Chinese liberalism is not the simple version of the west, but has Chinese characteristics, such as the western liberalism is based on certain historical conditions, Chinese liberalism do not have such conditions, both against the feudal rule, but also face the nation crisis, causing them to side stressed individual rights, while trying to achieve individual and national harmony, emphasis group is much more important, with a relatively strong nationalism.Because modern Chinese history conditions are not suitable for liberalism.The defects of liberalism theory and practice lead to political failure.It is the most fundamental error that they don’t understand Chinese farmers is the main strength. In twentieth Century the Chinese liberalism was in political ended in failure,but in changing people’s thinking, through academic and public opinion influence politics and society, as modern Chinese political thought resources,it has important contributions.Chinese liberalism can become a positive force for Chinese reform and progress, must be in the direction of keeping to the socialist road, paying attention to the research of Chinese national conditions, but also to strengthen the theoretical construction of its own, to find the combination point of its theoretical and practical problems, not just empty talk about abstract universal principles and simple transplantation of Western liberal thought.