Chen Jiongming Lawyer, one of the leaders of Chinese anarchists Date of Birth: 13.01.1878 Country: China

1. Biography of Chen Duxiu
2. Conflict with Sun Yat-sen
3. Supporter of Anarchism
4. The Ideal City of New Culture
5. Recognition and Influence

Biography of Chen Duxiu

Chen Duxiu, a lawyer and one of the leaders of the Chinese anarchists, was born in 1879 in Anhui Province, China. He was a devoted advocate of federalist views and opposed the centralist model that was being forcefully imposed from above.

Conflict with Sun Yat-sen

Due to disagreements on this issue, Chen attacked Sun Yat-sen's residence in 1922, forcing him to flee to Canton. This action led him to be portrayed in a negative light by both communist and pro-Taiwan historians. It was not until Winston C's scholarly work that the first attempt to revise this position was made.

Supporter of Anarchism

Researchers of anarchism in China note Chen Duxiu's passionate commitment to this ideology. He was among the founders and patrons of one of the anarchist terrorist groups during the 1910-1911 revolution, which was characterized by idealism and high moral aspirations. Although the group was dissolved after the abdication of the last dynasty, Chen continued to support anarchists who became active reformers in Canton.

The Ideal City of New Culture

During the May Fourth Movement in 1919, Chen, with the help of intellectual friends, created the "ideal city" of New Culture in Zhangzhou, Fujian. The anarchist program was characterized by shocking radicalism, influenced by Buddhist and Taoist elements that opposed the conservatism of Confucianism. The program advocated for abstaining from meat, tobacco, and alcohol, eliminating the use of servants and rickshaws, abandoning the institution of marriage, refraining from using surnames, and not participating in government organizations.

The Zhangzhou commune, which attempted to embody these ideals, attracted attention both within China and abroad. For instance, a German newspaper referred to Chen Duxiu as the "star of the East," while enthusiastic students from Peking University gave Zhangzhou the nickname "Moscow of southern Fujian."

Recognition and Influence

John Dewey, who visited China to deliver a series of lectures from 1919 to 1921, highly praised Chen's federal program, which he began implementing in Guangdong, with the hope that other provinces would follow suit. After visiting Guangdong in the spring of 1921, Dewey described Chen's concept as an idea of unifying China "by the people themselves, without the use of force - only through normal political evolution."

Chen Duxiu obtained a doctoral degree in 1922. He studied at the Canton Academy of Law and Political Science from 1906 to 1908, earning his diploma with distinction.