Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, and Individualism in Modern China
The Chenbao Fukan and the New Culture Era, 19181928
By (author) Xiaoqun Xu
Publication date:
23 May 2014Length of book:
276 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksISBN-13: 9780739189146
Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, and Individualism in Modern China analyzes important aspects of Chinese intellectual life and cultural practices that formed and informed the historical phenomenon known as the New Culture era. Through examining an influential newspaper supplement published in Beijing during 1918–1928, along with other contemporary sources, the book explores the full dimensions and rich textures of the intellectual-literary discourses of the time period and contributes to a re-consideration and re-appreciation of the New Culture phenomenon in modern China. It highlights a key intellectual-moral paradox in Chinese discourses between cosmopolitanism as an idealistic aspiration and nationalism as a practical imperative, both in complex relationship to individualism, a paradox that ultimately speaks to the constant negotiations between Chinese tradition and Western culture in the making of Chinese modernity. These issues have remained vitally relevant to China and the world nearly a century later.
This is solidly researched work. The book convincingly points readers to Chinese cosmopolitanism, an important but understudied strand of public discourse that coexisted with other currents including nationalism, individualism, and anarchism in the early twentieth century. Professor Xiaoqun Xu’s incisive analysis brings depth to our understanding of China’s world view today.