Chapter Three. The May Fourth Tide And Modernity

Along with the democratic enlightenment's political reform, it was only the New Culture Movement that was able to produce the unprecedented effect of shaking up society. The cultural debate of the pre- and post-May Fourth period developed from the issue of 'East-West to that of 'old-new' and indicated that the intellectual community had gained an ideology of self-criticism and demanded a cultural awareness that would move from tradition to modernity, and that was sufficiently strong to set Chinese culture on the road to progress. The May Fourth New Culture Movement has been called China's Renaissance. It has also been compared to the Enlightenment. Both descriptions aim to refer to the important historical significance of the May Fourth New Culture Movement as a modern transformation. Keywords: Chinese culture; Confucianism; May Fourth New Culture Movement; modern transformation