In the early days of the Northern Warlords' rule, in the cloudy days of China, spring thunder broke out, and a cultural enlightenment movement, the New Culture Movement, which advocated science, opposed feudal superstitions and lashed out at feudal ideas for thousands of years.

During this period, politically, after the failure of the Revolution of 1911, the powers supported Yuan Shikai to claim the title of emperor and stepped up their aggression against China. Domestic advanced elements sought a new way to change this situation. Economically, capitalism in China further developed during World War I, and the bourgeoisie strongly demanded the implementation of democratic politics in China in order to better develop capitalism. In terms of ideology and culture, with the establishment of new schools and the rising tide of studying abroad, the western enlightenment was further introduced to China, and the revolution of 1911 made the idea of democracy and harmony deeply rooted in people's hearts. Yuan Shikai's countercurrent of respecting Confucius and restoring the ancients was not tolerated by democratic intellectuals (direct reason). Therefore, the emergence of the New Culture Movement was not only the product of the comprehensive effects of economic, political, ideological and cultural factors at that time, but also the inevitable result of long-term material and ideological preparation in modern China.

Yuan Shikai's Proclamation of the Great President's Sacrifice

The president bowed to the heavy responsibility. Although the political system is innovative, customs should be conservative for all countries in the world, each with its own founding spirit, inheriting its ancestors and featuring steaming. China's obedience to the Holy Way, self-discipline, governing the country and leveling the world all originated from self-cultivation.

-"Selected Materials of Modern History of China"

The rise of the new culture movement

Chen Duxiu studied in Japan in his early years, joined the Allied League led by Sun Yat-sen, and took part in the Revolution of 1911 and the struggle against Yuan Shikai's restoration of monarchy. 19 15, Chen Duxiu founded Youth magazine and published an article attacking Zun Kong's retro style. In the inaugural issue, he published a warning to the youth, put forward the slogan of democracy and science, and attacked feudalism and its ideology. Human rights are democracy. Chen Duxiu put forward the ideas of political democracy, belief democracy, economic democracy, social democracy and ethical democracy, and called on people to take up the weapon of democracy and fight against the old ideology. Regarding science, Chen Duxiu believes that anything judged by science and reason as unsuitable for today's society, even if it is left by ancestors, loved by sages and advocated by the government, is worthless. Call on people to adhere to the scientific spirit and become the ruler and master of nature. Chen Duxiu also put forward six hopes for young people, namely, "autonomy rather than slavery", "progress rather than conservatism", "enterprising rather than retirement", "the world rather than locking up the country", "practicality rather than imagination" and "science rather than imagination". He expects to cultivate a generation of new citizens who are "stubborn, unyielding, physically strong, resistant to nature, trusting instinct, working independently from others, obedient and frank, and not hypocritical". "Chen Duxiu raised the banner of a new culture and opened the curtain of an unprecedented new culture movement.

"New Youth" and Peking University became the main positions to publicize the new culture movement. Cai Yuanpei is a famous democratic revolutionist and educator. He practiced the policy of "all-inclusive, a hundred schools of thought contend" academically. During his tenure as president of Peking University, he carried out a series of reforms, such as advocating academic research, letting a hundred schools of thought contend, selecting talents in an eclectic way, and treating Chinese and foreign teachers equally. He hired Chen Duxiu, a new cultural advocate, as a liberal arts senior and Li Dazhao as a librarian. Hu Shi, Liu Bannong, Qian, Zhou Zuoren, Lu Xun and other natural scientists who returned from studying abroad all taught at Peking University. But at the same time, Peking University also has a group of so-called old-school professors represented by Liu and Gu Hongming. Through reform, Peking University became the highest institution with active thoughts and academic prosperity in China at that time, and trained a group of young people with new ideas.

Hu Shi worked as a professor in Peking University after returning from studying in the United States, and later served as the dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He actively participated in the new culture movement and the literary revolution movement, and was an important representative of the literary revolution and the initial new culture movement.

Lu Xun studied in Japan in his early years and took part in the editing of New Youth at the beginning of 19 18. Mao Zedong praised him as a great revolutionary, thinker and writer.

"Mr. De and Mr. Sai"

"Mr. De" means "democracy" and "Mr. Sai" means "science".

The establishment of the two banners of democracy and science in the New Culture Movement has brought about earth-shaking changes in many aspects of China, and created great opportunities for the wide spread of new ideas and theories. The textbook's exposition of the basic contents of the new culture movement-four propositions and four oppositions-truly reflects the "newness" of the new culture movement.

Slogans of democracy and science

"Democracy" refers to democratic thoughts and democratic politics; "Science" mainly refers to the laws and spirit of modern natural science. The bourgeoisie preached democracy and opposed feudal autocracy, pointing the finger at Confucianism, the theoretical pillar of feudal autocracy; Advocate science and oppose feudal superstition and ignorance. This slogan reflects the requirements of China's social development and the urgent needs of the people, and has effectively promoted the development of the New Culture Movement. However, this slogan still belongs to the nature of bourgeois old democracy and has the limitations of its class and times. It can't be combined with mass movements, and it can't treat China culture and western culture from the viewpoint of historical materialism, so it can't fundamentally overthrow feudal thought.

The main contents of the new culture movement

The New Culture Movement is carried out along two fronts, one is the ideological front, and the other is the literary front. The two fronts are intertwined, so it is both an ideological revolution and a literary revolution. As an ideological revolution, it advocates democracy and science, opposes autocracy, ignorance and superstition, advocates new morality and opposes old morality. As a literary revolution, it advocates new literature and opposes old literature. The essence of the early New Culture Movement was the struggle between the bourgeois new culture and the feudal old culture. Vigorously promote Marxism in the later period.

The progressiveness of the new culture movement

The development of democracy and scientific thought has shaken the dominant position of feudal thought, promoted the development of natural science in China and liberated people's thoughts, especially those of young people. Marxism spread in the later period was accepted by advanced intellectuals in China and became an ideological weapon to save the nation and transform society. It played a propaganda and mobilization role in the outbreak of the May 4th Movement, and was also conducive to the popularization and prosperity of culture.

Limitations of the New Culture Movement

The New Culture Movement was initiated by the bourgeois radical democrats. It has great contributions and serious shortcomings. The advocates of the movement ignored the masses, did not combine the new culture movement with the masses, and confined the cultural movement to the circle of intellectuals. They also avoided the actual struggle against the warlord government at that time and did not directly put forward the anti-imperialist task. As far as the literary revolution at that time was concerned, although the construction of "national literature" was put forward, the literary activities at that time were limited to some intellectuals and could not be popularized among workers and peasants. The blind criticism of China's classical literature is one-sided.

The influence of the new culture movement

(1) shook the dominant position of feudal thought. Before the New Culture Movement, the bourgeois reformists and revolutionaries did not thoroughly criticize feudal thoughts when they publicized their political opinions. After the New Culture Movement, feudal thoughts were criticized and people's thoughts were liberated unprecedentedly.

(2) Promoting democracy and scientific thinking. China intellectuals were baptized by western democratic and scientific thoughts in the New Culture Movement. This paved the way for the spread of new ideas and promoted the development of natural science in China.

(3) Prepare for the May 4th Movement. The New Culture Movement inspired people's democratic consciousness and played a role in propaganda and mobilization in the May 4th patriotic movement.

(4) The later spread of socialist ideology inspired the advanced intellectuals in China to choose and accept Marxism as an ideological weapon to save the country, transform society and promote revolution. This is the most important achievement of the New Culture Movement.

(5) Conducive to the popularization and prosperity of culture. The new culture movement advocates vernacular Chinese, which can unify language and writing more closely and be accepted by the general public, thus contributing to the popularization and prosperity of culture.

However, most of the advanced elements in the new culture movement have some extreme emotions, and their views on eastern and western cultures are absolutely positive or negative, which has always influenced the future. In fact, East and West should learn from each other's strong points and make progress together.