Chinese Intellectual Discourse on Democracy

Democracy is an important component of the Chinese political discourse since the concept was introduced from the West to China in the mid- 19th century.1 A democratic movement developed in China over the past hundred years. Pioneer reformers such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao advocated a constitutional monarchy patterned after the British model. The later thinkers, such as Hu Shih (1891–1962), Carsun Chang (1886–1969), and Chang Tung-sun (1886–1973), were ardent supporters of democracy They opposed both the one-party dictatorship of the Guomindang and the people’s democratic dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party. In 1911, Dr. Sun Yat-sen established the Republic of China, putting an end to more than 3,000 years of political system ruled by dynasties. He tried, though unsuccessfully, to introduce the democratic system to China. The lack of democracy is a great disappointment of the Chinese intellectuals in the modern era.