The Idea of Freedom in Modern China Revisited: Plural Conceptions and Dual Responsibilities

Western historiography on the idea of freedom in modern China has tended to focus on its conception as service to the state and social ends, as illustrated by studies of Liang Qichao's democratic thought; as a result, many other interpretations have been overlooked. This article locates Chinese...

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Published in:Modern China 2006-10, Vol.32 (4), p.453-482
Main Author: Fung, Edmund S. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
China
Chinese culture
Chinese studies
Collectives
Communities
Conceptualization
Democracy
Dualism
Ethics
Freedom
Freedoms
Historiography
Human Rights
Individualism
Individuals
Intellectual freedom
Liang, Qichao
Liberalism
Modern society
Modernism
Modernity
Morality
Peoples Republic of China
Personal liberty
Political discourse
Political freedom
Political theory
Political thought
Rights
State-society relations
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creator Fung, Edmund S. K.
description Western historiography on the idea of freedom in modern China has tended to focus on its conception as service to the state and social ends, as illustrated by studies of Liang Qichao's democratic thought; as a result, many other interpretations have been overlooked. This article locates Chinese notions of liberty in a broader context as a fusion of personal, national, social, civic, and moral freedoms. After revisiting Liang Qichao's conception of freedom, it posits six others that are mutually interactive--freedom as liberation; as self-development, independent personality, and responsibility; as democracy and human rights; as a spiritual cultural necessity; as a private realm; and as autonomy and self-mastery. The article offers a more nuanced understanding of the issue of the primacy of collective interests over individual interests by developing the notion of dual responsibilities, or the dualism between the sanctity of personal liberty and the public morality of service to society and state.
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source International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS); JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection; Worldwide Political Science Abstracts; Sage Journals Online; Sociological Abstracts
subjects China
Chinese culture
Chinese studies
Collectives
Communities
Conceptualization
Democracy
Dualism
Ethics
Freedom
Freedoms
Historiography
Human Rights
Individualism
Individuals
Intellectual freedom
Liang, Qichao
Liberalism
Modern society
Modernism
Modernity
Morality
Peoples Republic of China
Personal liberty
Political discourse
Political freedom
Political theory
Political thought
Rights
State-society relations
title The Idea of Freedom in Modern China Revisited: Plural Conceptions and Dual Responsibilities
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