"The Responsibility of a Few": Ding Wenjiang's Thoughts and Practices

Author: Gu Xiaoshui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: In the turbulent times of the Republic of China, Ding Wenjiang, the pioneer of Chinese geological studies, navigated between academia and politics, proposing a politically elite-oriented vision and personally implementing it. His insightful and wise observations cut to the core of the era's problems, yet they went largely unheeded by his contemporaries, leaving modern scholars to lament his legacy. The "Modern and Contemporary China: Politics and Society Transformation" academic series is the culmination of a research project at Sun Yat-sen University under the "985" initiative, focusing on the relationship between political and social changes in modern China.
Politics is a broad and complex concept. This project adopts a broad definition of politics, expanding its research scope to include modern Chinese political thought, political institutions, international environments, foreign relations, and significant political figures and events. By integrating politics and society, it examines the relationship between politics and the economy, the impact of politics on education and talent cultivation, the role of politics in social stability and progress, and the influence of politics on foreign relations. It also analyzes the political attitudes and governance theories, policies, and methods of key figures and their social impacts from multiple perspectives and levels, attempting to explore the interactive relationship between politics and society using sociological theories and methods. It seeks to evaluate political thought, propositions, and the governance of political figures based on the stability, progress, development, and degree of civilization of society. This is a new attempt.
Modern Chinese politics emerged within the political framework of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. On one side were capitalism, imperialism, and bureaucratic capitalism, which held China's ruling power; on the other were the vast patriotic and revolutionary masses and various intellectuals pursuing progress and keeping pace with the times. These two sides represented the two social forces of China and reflected the two potential futures of modern China. Their political ideologies, thoughts, and proposals for reforming China constrained the development path of modern China. Modern Chinese politics is the central content and foundational background for examining the social transformation of modern China.
In contemporary China, political power is held by the broad masses, with the state's power center being the central government led by the Communist Party of China. The state focuses its efforts on developing the economy, culture, and education, enabling China's society to develop rapidly. Previous research on modern Chinese history has achieved significant results and breakthroughs in various aspects, but there are also shortcomings. For example, the key hub controlling the social transformation of modern China—political change—has been studied relatively weakly in terms of its social impact, and there is an urgent need for more research and higher standards. There is also a trend of shifting research focus from various social aspects back to the center and an objective requirement to move from specific studies to a more holistic understanding.
Previous political history research focused primarily on class struggle and revolutionary movements, unidirectionally explaining the turmoil and instability caused by political change in society, as well as its impact on the economy, culture, and education. To some extent, this limited the expansion of the field of modern Chinese political history and its theoretical development. This project takes the interactive relationship between modern Chinese politics and social change as its basic starting point. Building on existing micro-studies, it establishes an innovative and era-specific macro-explanatory system, guided by the expansion of observational scope and the deepening of research levels. Through the combination of macro and micro studies and the innovation of research methods, it aims to enhance research standards and open new paths.
The history of modern Chinese politics is an important aspect of modern Chinese history research. Overall, past research has been characterized by both a large number of achievements and severe shortcomings, leaving considerable room for further development. Sun Yat-sen University has a strong tradition and advantage in researching modern Chinese political thought, political institutions, political figures, and international relations. It leads the domestic and international academic community in studies on Sun Yat-sen and modern Chinese politics, adheres to academic norms, and has long fostered a spirit of seeking truth and collaboration among scholars. It has great potential in multiple areas.
The research on the "Modern and Contemporary China: Politics and Society Transformation" project includes senior professors and doctoral supervisors, postdoctoral researchers, and the rest are doctoral graduates, forming a research team with a mix of experience levels. Each member explores new frontiers based on their interests and research findings. Many of the works presented in this series are their doctoral theses, which received excellent evaluations from their dissertation committees after repeated revisions before being published. They have conducted specialized research on the relationship between modern Chinese politics and society from different perspectives and angles, each with its own unique strengths and contributions, demonstrating foresight and academic rigor.
The "Modern and Contemporary China: Politics and Society Transformation" academic series presented to the readers is the result of their hard work. It is hoped that these achievements will help people understand the relationship between politics and social change from new angles and inspire further insights. Of course, we also look forward to criticism and feedback from readers and the academic community.