On The Eastern Miscellany(1904—1948)

The Eastern Miscellany was an important culture product of Commercial Press. It was also a folk completely magazine which published earliest、maintained longest and affected biggest in China before50s in20th century. The Eastern Miscellany was originated in March of1904, and maintained to1948. This magazine had44books and819issues,8editors, about20thousands writings. It went through the last stage of Qing Dynasty, the Modern China. The Eastern Miscellany not only became an important registrar in the development of Chinese modern society, but also threw itself into the culture communion between the East and the West, bring in more and more modern social and human knowledge, cultivated numbers of ideology and specialist which was needed in Chinese modern development in the mean time, and became an important fountain of Chinese modern culture.Taking Commercial Press’ tenet of " assuming age mission of helping education ", the Eastern Miscellany tried introducing the newest social modern culture, transmitting and introducing current political affairs on time which became its managing characteristic, and throwing itself into the culture communion between the East and the West. There were five material periods in44years of the development of the Eastern Miscellany, they were early epoch (from1904to1910)、Du yaquan epoch (from1911to1919)、Qian zhixiu epoch (from1920to1931)、Wang yunwu epoch (from1932to1941)、Su jiqing epoch (from1943to1948). In favor of studying, we can mark Qian zhixiu epoch off material three epoches, they are from1920to1923、from1924to1927、from1928to1931respectively. In the same time, we can also mark Wangyunwu epoch off two epoches, they are from1932to1938、 from1939to1941respectively.There were four important characters in the development of the Eastern Miscellany. They were Du yaquan、Qian zhixiu、Hu yuzhi and Wang yunwu. Not only were they important authors, but also key characters. Du yaquan aroused the debate between the East and the West. Qian zhixiu occupied the editor in chief farthest. Hu yuzhi was the author and one of editors who had the most writings. Wang yunwu was one of the whole show who retrieval the Commercial Press and the Eastern Miscellany in1932.There were ten important authors in the early epoch, they were Ge xiao、Li zhao、 Meng sen, ect. Its main content was constitutionalism of the last stage of Qing Dynasty. Most of authors proposed conserving traditional culture under being for this political reform. Their writings explained political corruption of the last stage of Qing Dynasty, affirmed development at the same time. Their opinions included education、 constitution、diplomatism、industry, ect. There were amount of writings from other papers in the mean time.There were about453authors in Du yaquan epoch, and the important authors were Du yaquan Hu yuzhi, ect. There were more writings from Euramerican papers which exploited more sources of writings in the mean time. The Eastern Miscellany in Du yaquan epoch threw itself into arguing the culture differentia between the West and the East, introduced plentiful western thinking which included multifarious socialism. These authors in which Duyaquan could be a delegate reviewed earnestly the "epoch error" just like the First World War, reviewed the more and more grave social corruption and tried to look for the newest genius impetus which could united the social development. These authors tried to distinguish balance and unite the culture of the West and the East. They assumed the work of transforming social consciousness which was warmest in social culture growth and "advanced with the social development". As the director, Du yaquan forwardly joined in the arguing of the culture differentia between the West and the East, however his position was reshuffled. In fact, the arguing had existed in interior. The reshuffle of director also came by a subtle course. On the other hand, most of argued questions then could not be posed common answer, the devious culture arguing was foredoom.There were about510authors in Qian zhixiu epoch (1), and had12important authors, they were Hu yuzhi、Zhou jianren, ect. There were further more authors, and more translation writings which interpreted the Euramerican development. These writings included original and translated literature, enlarged visual angles of the magazine. More independence opinions in this epoch made this magazine gradually get rid of the arguing color, enhanced the degree of transmitting modern culture furtherly. In this epoch, the Eastern Miscellany " pay attention to study the material questions ".There were about340authors in Qian zhixiu epoch (2), and had11important authors, they were Wang weizh、Hu yuzhi, ect. In this epoch, there was a climacteric from1926which changed from explaining the culture differentia between the West and the East to transmitting the international political current affairs. The main international political current affairs included Europe political development, political movements of USSR and other countries. This change was related to the Qian zhixiu’s view of "civilian politics". In the mean time, there were further more original literature which paid more attention to certain social estate especially intellect and roughscuff. These literature became an important part of Chinese modern literature.There were about786authors in Qian zhixiu epoch (3), and had9important authors, they were Yu songhua、Zhang mingyang, ect. In this epoch, the author procession divided ulteriorly, there were more reports about international political current affairs, more writings of foreign social culture and living. In the mean time, the new climax of original literature came forth, and the literature in this epoch pay more attention to roughscuff and its mentality, reflected the compressive stress in the political upheaval and social turbulence.The Eastern Miscellany of Wang yunwu epoch could testify the history in which Chinese culture was destroyed by Japanese militarism from1930s to1940s, and Chinese intellect tried to oppose Japanese culture aggression. Japanese aggression made deviousnesss in which the Eastern Miscellany had to be closed down for3times and migrated for4times. There were about1340authors in Wang yunwu epoch (1), and had12important authors, they were Zhang mingyang、Zheng yonggong, ect. More and more authors appeared after "Jan. Twenty Eighth Incident" which could be seen forceful support from society. The newest intellect then came on and became culture activist, and the main body、content and style of culture communion had unprecedented change. There was a newest phenomenon of culture growth, in which the Eastern Miscellany paid further more attention to the world economic crisis, the countermeasures of every countries, the new world war crisis and enhancing to interpret thought about economic systems. The national survival and development became suffering mind along with increasing conflict between China and Japan. The newest self-examination occurred on account of the suffering situation. The literature producing were shock mostly, and appeared more realism literature. However, the original climax of literature occurred in special political era disappeared quickly along with the tough phase of opposing Japanese militarism war.There were about317authors in Wang yunwu epoch (2), and had18important authors, they were Wu zheyan, ect. The reports about Euramerican affairs reduced mostly. This change reflected the recombine of international political camps in the Secondary World War. But more and more correspondingly reports about either diplomatism、the war between China and Japan appeared in this epoch. The economy writings were fartherly ideographic and explained countermeasures of Chinese government then in economy、commerce、finance and so on in the opposing Japanese militarism war. But the quality of social culture and literature begun decline in this epoch.There were about613authors in Su jiqing epoch, and had8important authors, they were Wu zheyan、Cheng zhongmian, ect. Although the Eastern Miscellany had gone through hatching of the opposing Japanese militarism war, it couldn’t gain newer resplendence in the domestic war, and suffered grave setback and closed down in the end of1948. Authors in this epoch present decentralization, and the magazine lose its feature step by step.The Eastern Miscellany recorded the epoch development loyally, it became a comprehensive info storeroom of the world and Chinese development in20th century. It became a necessary ideology storeroom in studying Chinese development style on account of its explaining the main thinking in the culture of the West and the East. It trained diversiform specialists and became an expert storeroom which was necessary in Chinese modern development. In the mean time, it tried to keep、reform and renovate in the long social wave, and became a stylebook storeroom in the development of the world modern magazine accordingly. This development fact of the Eastern Miscellany can show that the creating of Chinese modern culture needs a difficult course. Not only need the basic of collective modernization of the social elements, but also need much more Chinese scholars try to possess modern scholar character.