May Fourth Movement

The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese cultural and anti-imperialist political movement that began with student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen to protest the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles. They were upset because the treaty allowed the Empire of Japan to keep areas in Shandong that had been taken from the German Empire after the Siege of Tsingtao.

The protests quickly spread across the whole country, leading to a rise in Chinese nationalism. This movement also marked a big change in how people thought about their country. It moved away from old traditions and focused more on getting ordinary people involved in politics. The May Fourth Movement was part of a larger effort called the New Culture Movement, which lasted from 1915 to 1921 and aimed to change old Confucian ideas. Many important leaders, including those who later joined the Chinese Communist Party, became known during this time.

Background

Further information: Warlord Era

In 1919, China was going through big changes. The old imperial rule had ended in 1911, but the country was now led by different local leaders called warlords. The government in Beijing wasn't strong enough to stand up to other countries.

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

Leaders of a new movement wanted China to change its old ways and adopt new ideas from Western countries. They believed this would make China stronger. These ideas influenced China's politics and culture for many years.

Twenty-One Demands

Main article: Twenty-One Demands

In 1915, Japan made several requests to control more parts of China. These requests were called the Twenty-One Demands. When Chinese people found out about them, it caused a lot of anger against 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 pay much attention 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 demanding their government 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

Scholars consider the New Culture and May Fourth Movements to be important turning points in China's history. They marked a shift in how people thought about literature and modern ideas. The movement challenged old Chinese values, which led to strong reactions from some groups.

During this time, many intellectuals began to support ideas linked to communism. This helped lay the groundwork for the later formation of the Chinese Communist Party. The movement also influenced cultural changes, such as promoting 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 its impact.

Birth of Chinese communism

After the protests in 1919, many leaders moved toward supporting communist ideas. Figures like Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao became founders of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. Over time, more people began to see the value in these ideas as China faced tough times.

In later years, Mao Zedong talked about how the May Fourth Movement helped set the stage for China's revolution. Some historians believe that the anger from this period directly led to the creation of the Chinese Communist Party.

Cultural

The May Fourth Movement pushed for big changes in culture. It focused on moving away from old traditions and embracing new ideas like democracy and science. This period is seen as a major shift in Chinese literature, where writers began using everyday language instead of classical styles.

Many ordinary people became interested in learning about new cultures from around the world. Women also started to play a bigger role in literature and society, discussing ideas about freedom and equality.

Women's emancipation

Traditional Chinese culture often placed women in limited 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 believed that for China to grow strong, women needed to be treated equally.

Economic

Some people joined together to protest 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 areas.

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 believed it did not go far enough, while others thought it went too far by suggesting that Chinese traditions needed to be replaced instead of built upon.

Leader Chiang Kai-shek of the Kuomintang party did not support the Movement's ideas. He worried that 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 believed that China’s traditions and values should remain 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 parts of old Chinese culture, like Buddhism from India, that could help the country. The “national character” group supported traditional family ways, which the May Fourth Movement opposed. The third group thought Confucian values were better than Western ones, especially for handling real-world changes. All these ideas focused on China’s traditions rather than the individual, which was a big part of the May Fourth Movement.