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The Origin and Trait of the Discourse of ‘Youth’ in Early La Jeunesse
Journal of Humanities
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In Modern China youth was connected closely with modernity in La Jeunesse. In pre-modern China qingnian(靑年) only means ‘young’ or ‘young age’. In the modern age, qingnian began to have the meaning of young generation. Especially, it means new group of student who studies new and western knowledge. Because of the national trial of China, Chinese young students concerned about their nation and participated political movements. From that time, Chines young man did not only mean young man or new-type student but the new subject of constructing modern nation China. At first most of them only emphasized patriotism. It is about in early 1900s. The founder of La Jeunesse, Chen Duxiu(陳獨秀) was one of them at that time. But after some years there was a turning point of his thoughts. From 1914 Chen no more agree to blind patriotism and emphasized that consciousness of the purpose and condition of nation. From that time his thoughts began to escape from nation-centrism and turned toward individualism. From the frist edition of La Jeunesse, Chen and writers of that journal called youth as a new subject of constructing new China. And they emphasized that Chinese youth must awake their essential value and important role in constructing new society. And many articles in La Jeunesse argued that individual is most essential in human society and more important than nation. Like this, La Jeunesse connected youth and modernity in Modern China. The main value of its discourse of ‘Youth’ was Consciousness, Social role and Individualism of youth in modern China.
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