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Frontiers of History in China

ISSN 1673-3401

ISSN 1673-3525(Online)

CN 11-5740/K

Postal Subscription Code 80-980

Front. Hist. China    2019, Vol. 14 Issue (3) : 385-426    https://doi.org/10.3868/s020-008-019-0019-2
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Qian Mu’s Guoshi dagang : Reflections on a Modern Chinese Conservative
Yuan Chang()
The Chinese Programme, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Avenue, 639818, Singapore
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Abstract

This paper examines the predicament of modern Chinese conservatism. I use the eminent historian Qian Mu (1895-1990) as an example to show that under the influence of modernity and in an effort to preserve tradition, a prominent conservative like Qian needed to “modernize” Chinese tradition so that it could be saved. I will examine Qian’s reconstruction of Chinese history, which was not just a reiteration of China’s past, but a new type of understanding of Chinese tradition influenced by modern Western concepts. By focusing on Qian’s most prominent work, Guoshi dagang, we can get a sense of the struggle of modern Chinese conservatives as they tried to fend off the detractors of Chinese tradition.

Keywords Qian Mu      Guoshi dagang       tradition      conservatism      Chinese intellectual history     
Issue Date: 25 October 2019
 Cite this article:   
Yuan Chang. Qian Mu’s Guoshi dagang : Reflections on a Modern Chinese Conservative[J]. Front. Hist. China, 2019, 14(3): 385-426.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fhc/EN/10.3868/s020-008-019-0019-2
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fhc/EN/Y2019/V14/I3/385
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