1919 The Year That Changed China: A New History of the New Culture Movement (Transformations of Modern China, 2)

Now in Paperback The year 1919 changed Chinese culture radically, but in a way that completely took contemporaries by surprise. At the beginning of the year, even well-informed intellectuals did not anticipate that, for instance, __baihua__ (aprecursor of the modern Chinese language), communism, Hu Shi and Chen Duxiu would become important and famous – all of which was very obvious to them at the end of the year. Elisabeth Forster traces the precise mechanisms behind this transformation on the basis of a rich variety of sources, including newspapers, personal letters, student essays, advertisements, textbooks and diaries. She proposes a new model for cultural change, which puts intellectual marketing at its core. This book retells the story of the New Culture Movement in light of the diversifi ed and decentered picture of Republican China developed in recent scholarship. It is a lively and ironic narrative about cultural change through academic infi ghting, rumors and conspiracy theories, newspaper stories and intellectuals (hell-)bent on selling agendas through powerful buzzwords. The year 1919 changed Chinese culture radically, but in a way that completely took contemporaries by surprise. At the beginning of the year, even well-informed intellectuals did not anticipate that, for instance, baihua (aprecursor of the modern Chinese language), communism, Hu Shi and Chen Duxiu would become important and famous - all of which was very obvious to them at the end of the year. Elisabeth Forster traces the precise mechanisms behind this transformation on the basis of a rich variety of sources, including newspapers, personal letters, student essays, advertisements, textbooks and diaries. She proposes a new model for cultural change, which puts intellectual marketing at its core. This book retells the story of the New Culture Movement in light of the diversifi ed and decentered picture of Republican China developed in recent scholarship. It is a lively and ironic narrative about cultural change through academic infi ghting, rumors and conspiracy theories, newspaper stories and intellectuals (hell- )bent on selling agendas through powerful buzzwords

The growing importance of China in the 21st century has increased public interest in the history of China and its complex political, economic and cultural entanglement with other regions in modern times. "Modern" here broadly refers to the period of growing encounters and interactions between China and the world, especially since the 19th century. This new series aims at offering fresh scholarly perspectives at both domestic and international developments during this period. It explicitly calls for proposals that trace processes of transformation, adaption or continuity within Chinese society, which often cross well-established political boundaries such as the 1911 or 1949 divides. Emphasis will be placed on works that explore novel questions and theoretical approaches or that utilize previously neglected sources.

If you are interested in submitting your manuscript to the editors, please write to: daniel.leese@sinologie.uni-freiburg.de

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Early 1919 – Reforms to save the nation 2. May 4, 1919 – Rumors and conspiracy theories 3. Late 1919 – Marketing with the “New Culture Movement” 4. The 1920s and 1930s – The limits of the New Culture Movement 5. 1919 to 2016 – Canonizing a buzzword Conclusion Glossary of Terms Bibliography Index