"May Fourth Commemoration" Yin Haiguang: Thirty Years of the May Fourth Movement

Written by Yin Haiguang

*Originally published in Central Daily, 6th edition, Youth Weekly, No. 8 (Taipei: May 4, 1949)

On May 4, 1919, an unprecedented youth movement broke out in Beijing. This movement is called the "May Fourth Movement" by modern historians.

The May Fourth Movement is a real youth movement, and only in the May Fourth Movement can we extract correct, profound and inspiring meanings. Every young man who pursues progress, democracy, freedom, science and reason should commemorate this festival of great significance and study deeply what this festival symbolizes.

The May 4th Movement was a movement bred in the menarche of China's new culture in the 1920s; the outbreak of the May 4th Movement, in turn, pushed China's new culture movement forward. Since the signing of the Jiangning Treaty in 1842, the stimulation of domestic and foreign aggression for decades, the agitation of the new cultural trend in the early 20th century, and the shameful behavior of the Beiyang warlords at that time to betray the country and seek glory have inspired the long-standing patriotic patriotism of the northern youth. Enthusiasm that forms an actual movement. The development of this movement has prompted the new culture to further develop its content and gradually enrich its content. Thus, the slogan "Science and Democracy" was put forward. Hu Shizhi and Chen Duxiu unveiled the banner of the "literary revolution", marking the slogan of overthrowing corrupt and old literature and creating a new vernacular literature. On the other hand, in addition to liquidating China's ancient cultural relics system and challenging the old society, he continued to introduce various new theories and ideas in Europe and the United States to create his own new culture and new society.

The May 4th Movement was a patriotic movement in terms of political expression; while it was an Enlightenment movement in the development of modern Chinese culture, the profound influence formed by this movement has been affecting the course of Chinese history for nearly three decades. .

In practical terms, the development of the May Fourth Movement directly or indirectly fostered the general revolutionary consciousness of the Chinese youth and the ardent demand to advance and reform the country. Therefore, in the early 1930s, a large number of young people responded to the revolutionary call of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and went south to join the new revolutionary camp in Guangdong. The revolutionary trend of thought is surging at the bottom, and the new revolutionary forces are gathering, finally converging to form the unstoppable Northern Expedition!

The First World War ended in 1918. On January 18, the Paris Peace Conference opened. At the peace meeting, five people including Lu Zhengxiang, the Chinese representative, put forward seven items of hope to the peace meeting; for the Shandong issue, they requested the repeal of the 21 Sino-Japanese Agreement. Both before and after did not get results, and the solution to the Shandong problem, even more so for the Chinese representative, was unacceptable. In April, Japan inherited Germany's rights in Shandong and claimed that if the rights in Shandong could not be inherited by Japan, the representatives of Japan would withdraw from the peace conference. The representatives of Britain and France accepted Japan's request and allowed Japan's request. In May, the Beiyang government and Japan concluded the Shandong Aftermath Agreement. Taking advantage of the urgency of China's Duan Qirui's cabinet to raise military funds, the Japanese government secretly proposed with the Chinese Minister to Japan Zhang Zongxiang to establish a joint venture between China and Japan to build the Jiaoji Railway, and borrowed Japanese funds to build Jishun and Gaoxu Er Road. Military resources, actually expressed "graciously agree" in the reply. On this basis, the Japanese representative said that China had allowed Japan to inherit Germany's rights in Shandong.

After the Shandong aftermath agreement was pointed out by the representatives of the peace conference, the people of the whole country were outraged. There was an uproar in public opinion, accusing Lu Zongxing, Cao Rulin, and Zhang Zongxiang, who were responsible for undertaking the Shandong Aftermath Agreement, as traitors. On May 4, 1919, more than 3,000 students from public and private schools in Beijing gathered at Tiananmen Square and went to the Presidential Palace to demand punishment of traitors. The Beiyang government was frightened by the public's reputation. On the day when the Paris Peace Conference was signed, the representatives of our country refused to attend the meeting and refused to sign the German contract, which affected the response of students across the country to strike. Use domestic products.

There are several aspects to the development of this movement. On the one hand, it liquidates old cultural relics; promotes vernacular language; introduces new Western ideas and new theories; studies science. Russell, Dewey and others came to China to give lectures. On the other hand, the study and movement of socialism has also gradually become popular. The main leader in this regard is Mr. Chen Duxiu.

Thirty years have passed since the May Fourth Movement. During these thirty years, our country has experienced large-scale foreign aggression and civil strife. In 1916, Yuan Shikai, who ruled himself by the monarchy, died in anger, and the Beiyang military system disintegrated, forming the melee of Beiyang warlords from 1916 to 1926. In 1926, the Northern Expedition started in Guangdong and Guangxi, ending the melee between the Beiyang warlords. The emerging revolutionary forces permeated the country. Soon, the Chinese revolutionary camp split within. The National Revolutionary faction and the International Communist Party launched a large-scale struggle. In 1937, the Japanese militarists launched an aggression against China, and the War of Resistance against Japan started from north to south. In the autumn of 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally, and the Anti-Japanese National War ended successfully. The struggle between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, which was temporarily lurking during the Anti-Japanese War, surfaced with the end of the national war, forming a civil war four years after the victory. At present, the domestic unrest has reached an unprecedented stage!

During these 30 years, although the country and people have experienced countless disasters, the country and people are still advancing along the road of science, democracy, freedom and rationality planned by the May Fourth Movement under extremely difficult circumstances. Although the damage and losses suffered by the country in the past three decades are great, social progress has not been small. In science, we are gradually learning from the West. Although the grades we have obtained from our studies are not enough, when we look back, our current scientific achievements are much more advanced than those in the late Qing Dynasty. Science has undoubtedly become a universally unanimous requirement of the people of the whole country, and it has been rooted in the hearts of the people. How mighty the power of democracy and freedom will be when beautiful waves of hope float in the minds of the masses.

This tendency to demand democracy, freedom, science and rationality was brought about by the May Fourth Movement. Now, however, this trend is being tested more severely than ever. Can China and her people continue to move forward on the road of democracy, freedom, science, and reason? Or are they forced to lead a tragic life of darkness and slavery into the bottomless abyss of dictatorship, dictatorship, totalitarianism, and irrationality? These two serious problems are facing us all in a very realistic way. We must act immediately to answer, and there is no time for hesitation.

At present, the torrent of totalitarian dictatorship, anti-democratic and rational communism, is rushing from the desolate Yellow River to the Yangtze River, flooding the whole country. This torrent originated from the corrupt and corrupt society in China, and it was fueled by the rule of the country by idiots for more than 20 years, and it was even supported and utilized by the Great Slavists. This terrible torrent is washing over China's corrupt society and destroying the ruling pattern built on it.

It is true that China's corrupt and polluted old society must be smashed, and the ruling pattern built on this society should be destroyed as soon as possible. However, the torrent of totalitarian, anti-democratic, and anti-rational communist dictatorship that is engaged in this work itself is also produced by reaction from within this society, so it has only a destructive effect, but no construction function. China and its people, who are suffering greatly, need destruction to remove obstacles, but construction is needed to satisfy their survival. The anti-democratic and anti-rational flood of communist totalitarian dictatorship cannot meet this requirement. Not only can they fail to meet this requirement, but the seedlings of democracy, freedom, science, and rationality that China has nurtured through the May 4th Movement for nearly half a century are about to suffer. The destruction of this torrent of communism, anti-democratic, anti-rational, and totalitarian dictatorship has made China follow the old path of Russian serfs under the tsar, China has been under Mongolian-style rule, and the Chinese people have succumbed to the deformed Greek Orthodox Church. Down.

For more than 20 years in China, the foolish people ruled the wise people, the bad people ruled the good people, the wicked people ruled the good people, and the ignorant people ruled the educated people. The Chinese people in China are all marked with the scars pierced by these idiots, so why bother to criticize them? But can the flood of communist totalitarian dictatorship solve the people? No, it can only wash away the people and make them perish together. The current turmoil in China is like the fever of a seriously ill person. This is a pathological phenomenon. High temperature won't solve the problem. The solution to China's problem must be after the heat has passed.

"If there is a cause, there will be an effect." With the seeds of the past hundred years, the encouragement of some idiots over the past twenty years, and the support and use of the Great Slavists, it is natural to obtain the fruits of the current turmoil. For many years to come, China may continue to experience turmoil. However, if human beings are not willing to degenerate into a state of barbarism, then will it be extremely peaceful: the turmoil for too long will eventually come down to calm. If "the long night will eventually reveal light," then, behind the current turmoil is the bright and blessed thousand years of happiness. But this bright and happy millennium will not come true because we sit and wait, we must work hard to create it. How to try to create it? If nothing else, we still have to follow the May 4th Movement's mission is not over yet, and we must still move forward in the footsteps of our ancestors during the May 4th era.

The situation encountered by young people at the end of this era is particularly difficult, but after the hardship is overcome, more happiness will be obtained. We must not be pessimistic and disappointed because of the current darkness. We must not be deterred by the arrogance of the evil forces, hesitant, and shaken. "The wise are not confused, the brave are not afraid." We should have faith in our own wisdom. Our wisdom tells us that the houses built on the rotten and poisonous soil will quickly collapse, and the forces of violent totalitarian dictatorships will be disillusioned after a period of brutality. A beautiful vista is about to be realized after turning this dreadful stage.

The correct path that the Chinese youth should take was already laid out in the May Fourth Movement 30 years ago. We will strengthen our confidence, unite our will, concentrate our strength, stand firm, show courage, and overcome the corrupt and violent twins born in the old society, so that a brand-new China will struggle from the thorns and the chaotic cracks. come out!