In this assignment, please write a 3-page essay to discuss the following question:

In Liang Qichao’s “Renewing the People,” he calls for the construction of a strong Chinese nation; but in Chen Duxiu’s “Call to Youth” and Mao’s articles on the suicide of Miss Zhao, they break with the Confucian tradition and treat the individual as the basic and irreducible unit of moral choice and action, and stake uncompromising and non-negotiable claims for individual freedom and autonomy.  In addition, the young people of early twentieth-century China were convinced and motivated by both appeals.  So how did they, through what institution (think about the family, the attack of the old family system, and the advocate of the small family ), reconcile these two seemingly contradictory demands?  Furthermore, are there any contradictions between these two claims, and were they able to resolve the contradictions (Think about the kind of society that Mao imagines could protect Miss Zhao and the kind of society that Liang Qichao was calling for, the different concepts of rights expressed by Liang, Mao, and Lu Xun; and think about what problems the new “small family” had)?

Requirements:

1. You are required to use the texts by Liang Qichao, Chen Duxiu, Mao Zedong, Lu Xun, and Susan Glosser for your paper.  Please DO NOT use any material outside of class assignments for your paper.

2. Your paper should be typed, double spaced, with 12 point Times New Roman font, and 1″ margins.

3. The introduction must establish a clear argument/thesis statement.  And the paper should be organized by paragraphs, and each point made should be supported with pieces of evidence from the readings.

4. Please refer to the grading chart for grading criteria.

5. Late submissions of assignments will be accepted on a non-negotiable (FOR ANY REASON except medical) penalty of 0.3  (1/3 of a letter grade, including weekends and holidays) per calendar day that they are late.

6. Please use the Chicago citation style and endnotes.

Module description:

In the late 19th century, China confronted the Western powers and Japan in the new world order defined by imperialism and colonialism, and in particular, through the “treaty system.”  China started a century long reforms and revolutions to fight for its survival, and “youth” emerged as a social category during this process.  In the first part of this module, we will discuss the changes that intellectuals argued that China needed to go through and what was expected of young people, and in the second half of the module, we will examine the complexities in how young people experienced this time of drastic change.