Probe Into Zhang Shizhao's Democratic Concept With Confucian Characteristics

Zhang Shizhao(1885-1973) is an influential political commentator as well as a famous scholar in the Chinese history of modern thought. The year 1914-1927 is the peak of his period of political and ideological. During this period,Zhang formed a well-known idea——"Compromise and Nation-building" , "Compromise and Nation-building" is a collection of many Zhang's political ideas. The democratic concept is one of them. Zhang's democratic concept wasn't paid attention to one more characteristic of Confucianism. This paper is trying to focus on the Zhang's understanding of the democratic concept of the succession of Zhang how traditional Confucian thinking. The full text of paper is divided into four parts.The first part describe the clue of Zhang's democratic concept. Zhang early acceptance of the Confucian system of education, the ideal political order only Yao, Shun and Yu Tang rule, more interested in literary rather than political, but this time accepted the Confucian education exerts a subtle influence of Zhang way to think. In 1903, Zhang began participating in revolutionary activities, founder of the newspaper publicity Western democratic ideas, criticism of feudal despotism, but at this time, he only stayed with the term on the slogan of democracy. In 1905, Zhang to Japan, then went to Britain for studying, during which he read a large number of Western political and legal aspects of the books, making the Western democratic ideas Zhang had a more in-depth understanding. Zhang back in 1912, starting in 1914 founded the "Tiger" Magazine, "Tiger" Journal and other publications, from academic criticism of autocratic rule of Yuan Shikai, to explore the issue of democracy in theory, its unique form of democratic concept.The second part discover the connotation of Zhang's democratic concept.Facing to the fact that Yuan Shikai implemented the authoritarian rule named by republicanism, Zhang thought that the theoretical basis of Yuan doing so was the theory that expense of the interests of the people to meet the national interests which was advanced by Liang Chi-chao. Zhang pointed out that this so-called "nationalism" is a kind of "pseudo-nationalism" and criticized the "pseudo-nationalism" on the basis of "authoritarian saints" and "enlightened were critical.In order to remove the "pseudo-nationalism", Zhang advanced the "public" is all people "private" in all. Zhang consider the true interest of the nation is the interests of all citizens. If an individual or an authority mastered the content of national interest, it is the authoritarian system of bound to collapse. In the democratic country, the people should decide their well-being of their own and the contents of the national interest. This requires that the people self-awareness of their own in the role of the political system. Zhang stressed people should be aware that they not only can accuse the one in power but also can replace the power, and recognize that they are the core of the nation, the nation belongs to all the people.This inner awareness that the people aware their own are in the central position is need to transform the practice in the field. Zhang stressed the people to make their own contribution. Zhang no longer rely on the power inherent in top-down influence to change the political structure, but the core position in the National's own work, the requirements for nationals of their respective positions in their contribution to the state. Everyone should be held to determine their own nation-building task, in order to play its due diligence for the nation-building.The third part analyze three Confucian characteristics of Zhang's democratic concept. The first, the individual of Zhang's democratic concept is focus-filed. The individual of Zhang's democratic concept is rather than the existence of the abstract, but the specific nationals in the real society, in the real country. Nationals form the core elements of the national. Nation focus on the nationals. The situation and the ability of nationals affected countries. In other words, Zhang study the individual in the environment and on the specific relationship. Second, Zhang's democratic concept is more focused on the emphasis on responsibilities rather than rights. Zhang inspection the national in the personal concrete relations, and therefore nationals described by Zhang have their own individual characteristics, should have their own position. Zhang give the different nature people to the political behavior in different content, emphasizing their respective nationals should be in accordance with their own efforts for nation-building. It appears in Zhang democracy is not just the rights of citizens, but also a national responsibility. Third, Zhang attaches great importance to the self-cultivation of national. His heart in accordance with the moral status of nationals of the nationals should be a distinction of tasks, and emphasize national self-awareness which the process that from "attachment consciousness" to "true self". These three characteristics of Zhang's democratic concept is different from the Western tradition liberalism but similar with traditional Chinese Confucian.The fourth part comprehensive comment Zhang's democratic concept. As a result of China's democratic thinking is the beginning of the process to proceed from the system, first proposed the constitutional claims of freedom and equality rather than ideology, Zhang is facing the fact that democracy has not been taken seriously. His primary job is not to establish what kind of democratic system, but rather seek to be widely accepted concept of democracy. To search the democratic concept, Zhang benefit from the Western theory, but his understanding of Western theory in itself has an obvious characteristic of Confucianism. By further analysis, the author believes that the democratic concept of Zhang more derived from tamimoto ideology that belongs to the traditional Confucian which is in line with the modern universal values of human society, but also in line with our traditional cultural values. This concept of democracy for us to explore more acceptable to our democracy is a useful reference.