A Comparative Research On Three Issues Of Sun Yat-Sen And MAO Zedong’s Cultural Viewpoints

Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong, both of whom were the most important revolutionary leaders in China’s modern history, have left enduring footprints in the development of Chinese revolution road. The former led Chinese people to overthrow the deep-rooted feudal dynasty which had lasted over thousands years, and finally established the Republic of China which symbolized the democracy and equality, and the latter have established a new China of Socialism where Chinese people were the masters of the country, which means that China has won its independence. Both of them as revolutionists and politicians have made splendid achievements in the thoughts of revolution and politics, and as thinkers they under the specific historic conditions have formed their distinct cultural views which mark the most advanced thought of culture, and their cultural thoughts occupy important positions in the cultural history in China as well as the world.In this thesis, the documentary research method, comprehensive analysis one and comparative research one are employed. And it elaborates the rich connotation of Sun Yat-sen’s and Mao Zedong’s cultural recognition and definition and their cultural viewpoint, and analyzes three important questions in terms of cultural viewpoint. The first is a matter of attitudes toward the past and today, and the western and China of Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong, the second a matter of their cultural innovation, and the third a matter of practice characteristics of their cultural thoughts.By the comparison and analysis of such three important questions, a conclusion can be come to of a selection of developing and discarding in terms of how to deal with the question of ancient and modern culture and that of Western and Chinese culture, and of selectively taking advantage of the ancient and modern culture and Western and Chinese culture from China’s actual conditions. On cultural innovation, Sun Yat-sen combined the advanced western culture with the innovation of national culture, thus enabling his Three Principles of the People to cohere the cultural quintessence of West and China. However, Mao Zedong on the one hand criticized the decay of Chinese traditional culture, on the other hand opposed to the wholesale westernization, advocated a combination Western advanced culture and China’s actual conditions and explored a new Chinese cultural road, which is a cultural innovation method of dialectics, criticism and innovation running through the Mao’s life-long philosophy and exerting a significance on Chinese cultural road. Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong are not only great theorists, but also great revolutionary practitioners. Their cultural viewpoints are not simply theoretical forms, but systematic thought of practical guiding significance on China’s cultural construction based on the actual needs of China’s Revolution. And their ideas on education construction, on the personnel training, on the propaganda work are practice fortunes that deserve our reference.Based on comparison, an agreement between Sun’s and Mao’s culture viewpoint, which nothing by chance reflects the inheritance of Mao from Sun’s cultural viewpoints and demonstrate Mao’s superiority over Sun can be noticed. This thesis concludes Mao’s inheritance and development from Sun, and makes clear the inner link and development vein. It is observed that the construction of great power of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics must face the popular goal of development, must attach importance to dialectical relationship among culture, economy and politics, and must insist on matter-of-fact practice spirit.