The Study Of Liang Qichao’s Liberal Nationalism Thought

In the field of modern Chinese intellectual history research, there are manyachievements on researching Liang Qichao’s nationalism thought, but less researchabout his liberalism thought, because in a long time, people still thought that there is anatural contradiction between emphasizing on nation and national interest’s nationalismand emphasizing on personal rights and the value’s liberalism. In recent decades,however, advocating liberalism and nationalism can be compatible and the rising ofliberal nationalism theory, which can be reconciled well, provide a new theoreticalperspective for the study of Liang Qichao’s thought. The main characteristic of LiangQichao’s liberal nationalism thought is that he starts from personal liberty and purposesto build a modern nation-state and the work The Theory of New People can most reflecthis this idea. In the work The Theory of New People, Liang Qichao illustrates a path,which is to build a powerful nation namely "new country" through shaping theliberalistic “new people” with individual rights thought and political consciousness oneby one, in this way liberalism and nationalism are unified together very well.In the introduction part, it is mainly to narrate the related studies about LiangQichao’s liberal nationalism thought, and then puts forward the author’s own researchcontent and methods. The second chapter mainly discusses that before creating TheTheory of New People, Liang Qichao expressed liberalism and concerned aboutnationalism in his concept of" civil rights ", when was the germination stage of LiangQichao’s liberal nationalism thought. The third chapter mainly talks about, in the earlyperiod of creating The Theory of New People, Liang Qichao expressed the basicunderstanding of the relation between individual liberty and nation’s founding in hisnation-state theory construction, which first was "new people" then "new country"theory, at that time it was the formation stage of Liang Qichao’s liberal nationalismthought. In the fourth chapter, the essay mainly discusses, in the later period of creatingThe Theory of New People, namely the time after the visit to America in1903, LiangQichao’s new understanding of the relationship between "freedom "and "nation’sfounding " by analyzing on the manifestations of his ideas and causes of his speech,when Liang Qichao’s liberal nationalism thought was in the transition period. The finalconclusion is mainly and briefly discussed Liang Qichao’s position in Chinese modernliberal nationalism thought pedigree and the history significance of his liberalnationalism thought.