Dark consciousness and democratic tradition

Author: Zhang Hao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Modern Italian historian Croce once said, "All history is contemporary history." This statement is fully substantiated in my numerous historical works over the years. On the surface, these works may seem disorganized and lacking in coherence, but they are all directly or indirectly connected to my perception of the times. The emergence of this sense of the times first appeared in 1949, just before I left mainland China. At that time, I was 12 years old and still very naive, of course, unable to understand the significance of the great changes in the situation. However, the atmosphere of impending turmoil had already begun to seep into my intuition, leaving some hazy but strong impressions. In recent years, this exploration has left some traces, which are the articles collected here. They are all texts that directly or indirectly discuss the changes in modern and contemporary thought and culture. Especially the discussions on what I call the "transitional era," this is not accidental, because for a long time, I have believed that the transitional era is a key period in the great changes of modern China.