To Seek My Ideal China: The Formation and Development of Modern Chinese National Concept

Author: Li Huaxing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The book title "Seeking My Ideal China" is quoted from Li Dazhao's article "The Mission of Morning Bell" written for the inaugural issue of the Morning Bell newspaper in August 1916. The author originally intended for the Morning Bell to "take the creation of a youthful China as its sole mission," calling on the youth to "break through the net of past history and shatter the old doctrines' prison," stand at the forefront of democracy and freedom, and strive for "seeking my ideal China." The purpose of quoting this phrase is to illustrate that the formation and development of China's modern national concept ultimately aim at creating "an ideal China." Of course, the specific mission of "an ideal China" should evolve with the times. If the historical mission of modern China was to establish an independent, democratic, and prosperous nation, then the historical mission of contemporary China is to build a prosperous, democratic, and civilized socialist modern country. This also means that "seeking my ideal China" is an ongoing process of exploration, development, and improvement. The book includes content such as: traditional concepts of the state and state systems, the crisis of the "Celestial Empire" and the charm of the "Outer Kingdom," the introduction of Western concepts of the state and the decline of traditional concepts, the transformation of national concepts and attempts to change the state system, etc.