East-west cultural debate

The East-west cultural debate is a debate on the similarities and differences, the strengths and weaknesses, and the trade-offs between Eastern culture and Western culture during the mainland period of the Republic of China.^[1] This debate began with the founding of the New Youth magazine in 1915 and ended before the Northern Expedition in 1927.^[2][3] During this period, hundreds of people participated in the debate with over a thousand articles,^[2][3] focusing on Chinese culture and Chinese society.^[3]

In 1915, New Youth magazine compared Eastern and Western cultures and criticized Chinese culture with articles such as "Admonishment to Youth", "French and Modern Civilization", and "Differences in the Fundamental Ideology of Eastern and Western Nationalities". Later, the Oriental Magazine compared Eastern and Western cultures, defending traditional Chinese culture.^[4] In 1918, Chen Duxiu sent out a series of articles questioning the journalists of the Oriental Magazine, while Du Yaquan responded to the questions in Oriental Magazine.^[5] Subsequently, the content and scale of the debate continued to expand, with almost all important scholars at the time participating.^[6] Hu Shih, Chen Duxiu, and other Westernized schools criticized and completely rejected Chinese culture.^[7] Liang Shuming, Du Yaquan, Zhang Shizhao, and others defended Chinese culture and believed that it was necessary to reconcile Chinese and Western cultures.^[8] In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference agreed to transfer Germany's rights and interests in Shandong Problem to Japan, which triggered the May Fourth Movement and the disappointment of Chinese intellectuals with the West. At this time, Zhang Shizhao, Chen Jiayi, and others actively promoted the harmony between Chinese and Western cultures, causing criticism from those who supported Westernization.^[9] At this point, the focus of the debate shifted from the previous comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of Eastern and Western cultures, as well as the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western civilizations, to the question of whether Eastern and Western cultures can be reconciled. Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Dongsun, Chen Jiayi, Zhang Shizhao, Jiang Menglin, Chang Naide, and others participated in the debate.^[10] Since 1921, works by Liang Qichao and others have transmitted the pessimistic sentiment in Europe after World War I back to China, leading to a reflection on Western civilization in the debate. Liang Shuming's "Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophy" and Liang Qichao's "Record of European Journey" immediately became the focus of discussion, and the practical approach of combining Eastern and Western cultures became the main focus of attention.^[9]

The East-West cultural debate provides different interpretations and definitions of the meaning, old and new, advantages, and disadvantages of Chinese culture.^[4] Wang Yuanhua believes that the debate between Chen Duxiu and Du Yaquan on Eastern and Western cultures opened up a "pioneer in cultural research" in China. During the debate, socialist ideology was widely spread and recognized in China, and people like Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao switched from supporting Western culture to supporting China on the path of socialism.^[11]

This debate did not come to a conclusion, and in the 1930s, there was a resurgence of the debate between the standard culture and overall Westernization.^[11] In 1962, young students such as Li Ao launched a cultural debate between China and the West with the opponents of Hu Shi's views from the Chinese Mainland in Taiwan.^[12] A similar controversy in the 1980s in the Chinese Mainland was thought by Wang Yuanhua to be still repeating the East-West cultural controversy before and after the May 4th Movement.^[6] After 2010, scholars in the Chinese Mainland debated the "subjectivity of Chinese culture".^[6][13]