Yang Zao of the Institute of Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences introduces twenty distinguished figures from the Republican era. Through their classic works and notable deeds, he traces their lives, ideas, and scholarly pursuits, revealing how they influenced the development of Chinese culture and our spiritual lives today.
Lu Xun, Hu Shi, Chen Yinke, Liang Qichao, Cai Yuanpei, Gu Hongming... These names all seem familiar. “Either explode in silence or perish in silence,” “When the young are strong, the nation is strong,” and “Freedom of thought, and openness to all schools of thought”: the words and ideas of these masters pierced the sky of history and still shine brightly today.
Yet, on closer thought, they are also “familiar strangers.” Do you know about the twists and turns of their lives, and how their upbringing and experiences shaped their character? Do you know what they contributed to modern Chinese culture, and how they pioneered and built the spiritual world of the Chinese people?
