On HuShi's Thoughts Of Remolding Chinese National Character During The May Fourth Movement

Remolding Chinese national character which is dealing with the modernization of man is a crucial step for a traditional society to change into modernized one. With the step of change advancing, today is seeing its important trend to man's modernization. So, there is undoubtedly practical significance to recall and reconsider the trend of thought of remolding Chinese national character in modern times especially during the May Fourth Movement.Science modern times, the continual failures to save our nation by introducing advanced science and technology from the West and changing political system make the awaking Chinese people realize that Chinese people trained by the traditional culture are not modernized men. They lack of not only thoughts of right and freedom, but also of social responsibilities. To achieve the goal of man's modernization and then to save our nation, we must introduce individualism which symbolizes western value to remold their deep-rooted bad habits in a new cultural environment by enlightening way. These bad habits have taken form during the long feudalistic rule.Hushi is one of the ideological pioneers during the May Fourth Movement. This paper aims to make a systematic regulation for his thoughts of remolding Chinese national character and to reveal its historical and practical significance.This paper consists of four chapters. Chapter One epitomizes the historic and logical background and thought sources of his remolding thoughts. It points out that Yan Fu's, especially LiangQichao's liberalistic thoughts of "New People" and the spirits of doubting and loving method trained by Confucian education in HuShi's little age have an important effect on his acception of Ibsenism and Pragmatism, which, in turn, he uses in remolding Chinese national character. Chapter Two gives a minute description of the goal and main contents. From man's nature, individuality and sociality , Hushi criticizes Chinese people'sslavishness, and by using Ibsenism he trains people to set up perfectly individual outlook on life which claims personal liberation,independence and social responsibilities. Chapter Three makes an analysis of his remolding methods. Simplifying Pragmatism into methodology, Hushi criticizes Chinese people's slavish thought and trains them to set up intellectual personality. He holds that it is ignorance that makes China poor and weak. So he advocates using education to train people and then to save our nation. As a liberalist, he also maintains that China should set up democracy to train people to raise their basic quality. The last chapter evaluates his thoughts with the view point that one divides into two.