The Periodical The Youth China And The Constitution Of The Image Of China

From the modern times to the May 4th Movement the image of China had been an issue ardently explored and emphasized by innumerable aspirants during the process of rejuvenating China. From Liang Qichao and Chen Tianhua to Hu shi and Lu Xun, such an image had undergone continuous change and substitution in their works. The emergence of the periodical The Youth China marks a new phase of the imagination of the China image. This ideal"Youth China"breaks away from the somber and decadent imaginative image of China that was characteristic of the latter decade of the Republic of China; the new country became vivacious and energetic in their eyes.The periodical The Youth China, the congress magazine of the association of Youth China, is an influential publication during the period of the May 4th Movement. Purported to create a youth China founded on the spirit of science and service of social activities, it gathered under its banner a multitude of excellent young Chinese intellectuals who sought after a path of transforming China.Such an image of"Youth China", which serves as the carrier of the ideal China of the members of the association, possesses multiple connotations. Its earlier members, led by Wang Guangqi, took keen delight in the petty organization"New Countryside"and the practical activities of"new life in the cities"assigned to the studying-while-working mutual assistance association. They strove to achieve the"communist"society characterized by"from each according to his ability, to each according to his need", where the national boundaries are obliterated, the rule of the government is abolished and the individual freedom is fully ensured. It obviously took on the Utopian colour of anarchism. The activities finally came to failure.After the Hangzhou Congress, in the face of the increasingly urgent task of salvaging the nation, the members of"Youth China"have to face up to reality to clarify their imagination of the nation. Meanwhile, the gaps latent in the thinking of the members manifested themselves and are reflected in the constitution of the future nation. The nationalistic believers, represented by Li Huang, attempted to build an independent, unified and defensive nation through nationalistic education, as well as fully guarantee individual freedom so as to realize over-spreading democracy. Moreover, they even drew upon the revolutionary history of western nations to constitute a commonwealth characterized by the Three People's Principles. However, under those social circumstances in China, it was virtually impossible to bring such a conception to realization. The believers in Communism, represented by Li Dazhao, inherited the early utopian communist ideals and drew upon the historical experiences of the Soviet-Russian socialist revolutions, thus succeeding in establishing a class commonwealth dominated by proletariats and down-trodden people so as to effectively utilize the dynamic resources of creating a nation and realize the revolutionary ideals completely.Literature had played an equally significant role in the process of the imagination of China. From the early individual narrative characterized by a tendency to expressing ideals to the reorientation marked by an emphasis on the values of working people on the eve of the Revolution, the image of China had been foregrounded more concretely in the relevant texts.