May Fourth Movement

The May Fourth Movement was a big cultural and political movement in China. It started with student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919.

Students gathered in front of Tiananmen to protest the Chinese government. They were unhappy because a treaty called the Treaty of Versailles let the Empire of Japan keep parts of Shandong. These areas had been taken from the German Empire after the Siege of Tsingtao.

The protests spread all over the country. This helped grow Chinese nationalism. The movement also changed how people thought about their country. It moved away from old traditions and brought more ordinary people into politics.

The May Fourth Movement was part of a larger effort called the New Culture Movement. This effort lasted from 1915 to 1921 and tried to change old Confucian ideas. Many leaders, including some who later joined the Chinese Communist Party, became known during this time.

Background

Further information: Warlord Era

In 1919, China was changing a lot. The old emperor had left power in 1911, but now different local leaders, called warlords, ran the country. The government in Beijing was not very strong.

When China joined World War I in 1917, they hoped for better treatment from other countries. But when the peace treaty was signed in 1919, China was sad. The treaty gave control of a Chinese area called Shandong to Japan, even though China had fought with the countries that won the war. This made many Chinese people very upset and led to protests.

Leaders of a new movement wanted China to change and learn new ideas from Western countries. They thought this would make China stronger. These ideas changed China's politics and culture for many years.

Twenty-One Demands

Main article: Twenty-One Demands

In 1915, Japan asked to control more parts of China. These requests were called the Twenty-One Demands. When Chinese people heard about them, it made them very angry at Japan. This anger helped create the conditions that led to the May Fourth Movement.

Shandong Problem

Main article: Shandong Problem

When World War I ended, China asked for three main things: to end special rights that foreign countries had in China, to cancel the Twenty-One Demands from Japan, and to get back the Shandong area that Japan had taken from Germany. However, the leaders of the countries that won the war did not listen to China's requests. This situation became known as the "Shandong Problem" and made many Chinese people feel that their country was not being treated fairly.

Protests

May 4, 1919

On May 4, 1919, students from many universities in Beijing met to protest a decision that gave land to Japan. That afternoon, thousands of students marched to Tiananmen, shouting slogans and asking their government to protect China's interests better. They also asked for a boycott of Japanese products and called for some government officials to leave their jobs. Unfortunately, some students were arrested and treated harshly.

Participants

The protests began with students in Beijing and Paris who were unhappy with their government's response to the peace treaty after World War I. As the movement grew, workers and business people joined in, showing their support. This helped the movement spread across China, with people from many different groups standing together for their country.

Expansion

The protests continued to grow, with students, workers, and business people all taking part. In Shanghai, meetings were held and messages were sent to the government in Beijing. Even after some students were arrested, the movement kept growing, showing the strong feeling of national pride among the people of China. Eventually, the government had to listen, and the movement helped unite people from different parts of society.

Significance

The New Culture and May Fourth Movements were important moments in China's history. They changed how people thought about books and new ideas. The movement challenged old Chinese values, which made some groups very upset.

During this time, many smart people started to support ideas linked to communism. This helped prepare the way for the later creation of the Chinese Communist Party. The movement also brought changes to culture, like new ways of writing and thinking.

The May Fourth Movement is remembered in different ways by different groups in China. Some see it as a step toward modern change, while others have different views on what it meant.

Birth of Chinese communism

After protests in 1919, many leaders began to support communist ideas. People like Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao helped start the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. Over time, more people saw the value in these ideas as China went through hard times.

Later, Mao Zedong talked about how the May Fourth Movement helped set the stage for China's revolution. Some historians think that the strong feelings from this time led to the creation of the Chinese Communist Party.

Cultural

The May Fourth Movement wanted big changes in culture. It encouraged moving away from old traditions and embracing new ideas like democracy and science. This time is seen as a major shift in Chinese literature, with writers starting to use everyday language instead of old styles.

Many ordinary people became interested in learning about new cultures from around the world. Women also began to take on bigger roles in literature and society, talking about ideas like freedom and equality.

Women's emancipation

Old Chinese culture often limited women's roles. The May Fourth Movement helped change this by promoting the idea of a "new woman" who had more freedom and rights. Many male leaders supported these ideas because they thought China needed to grow strong, and women needed to be treated equally.

Economic

Some people protested by refusing to buy products from certain countries. While this showed strong feelings, it also caused problems for local businesses and the economy in some places.

Religion

At this time, many Chinese thinkers questioned the role of certain foreign religions in China. In response, some local religious leaders worked to create independent groups that were more connected to Chinese culture.

Criticism and resistance

Many thinkers at the time had different opinions about the May Fourth Movement. Some thought it did not go far enough, while others felt it went too far by suggesting that Chinese traditions should be replaced instead of built upon.

Leader Chiang Kai-shek of the Kuomintang party did not support the Movement's ideas. He worried they might mislead young people and instead promoted traditional Chinese values through programs like the New Life Movement. Under his leadership, schools taught more about China's own history and ideas.

Other scholars, such as Liang Shuming, Liu Shipei, Xiong Shili, Zhang Binglin, and Zhou Zuoren, wanted to blend new ideas from other countries with China's own values. Later critics, including Lin Yutang, Ch'ien Mu, Xu Fuguan, and Yu Ying-shih, felt the Movement copied too much from foreign cultures and lost touch with China's own heritage.

Some Muslim communities in China, like those at the Normal Islamic School of Wanxian and schools in Ningxia led by General Ma Fuxiang, continued teaching their own traditions alongside required school subjects.

Neotraditionalism versus Western thought

Some people thought China’s traditions should stay important, even after the May Fourth Movement. They created three main ideas: national essence, national character, and modern relevance of Confucianism.

These ideas criticized Western values like individualism and materialism, saying they were not right for China. The “national essence” group looked for helpful parts of old Chinese culture, like Buddhism from India. The “national character” group supported traditional family ways, which the May Fourth Movement opposed. The third group believed Confucian values were better than Western ones, especially for dealing with changes. All these ideas focused on China’s traditions instead of the individual, which was a big part of the May Fourth Movement.