New Culture Movement

Hu Shi became one of the leaders of the new culture movement because he advocated literary improvement. He was the first scholar to advocate vernacular Chinese and new poetry. He devoted himself to overthrowing more than two thousand years of classical Chinese. Although he disagreed with Chen Duxiu's political views, he was also an axis figure of the May 4th Movement, which had a far-reaching influence on the modern history of China.

The New Culture Movement is an ideological and cultural innovation and literary revolutionary movement initiated by Hu Shi, Chen Duxiu, Lu Xun, Qian, Li Dazhao and other people who have received western education (then called New Learning).

19 15, Chen Duxiu published an article in New Youth (formerly known as Youth Magazine), advocating democracy and science (formerly known as Mr. De and Mr. Sai). This movement dealt a heavy blow to the traditional ethics that ruled China for more than two thousand years, stimulated people's democratic consciousness, promoted the development of modern science in China, and laid an ideological foundation for the spread of Marxism in China and the outbreak of the May 4th patriotic movement.

As the New Culture Movement was completely banned, all the classical cultures in China were classified as "banned", so the New Culture Movement was also the beginning of the decline of China classical culture.

Campaign slogan

"Mr. De and Mr. Sai"

"Mr. De" means "democracy" and "Mr. Sai" means "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 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 exposition of the basic contents of the new culture movement-four propositions and four oppositions-truly reflects the "newness" of the new culture movement. Namely:

First, advocate democracy and oppose autocracy.

Second, advocate science and oppose superstition.

Third, advocate new morality and oppose old morality.

Fourth, advocate new literature and oppose old literature.