The Countryside as a Problem: Centered on Li Dazhao’s “Youth and the Countryside”

Abstract

“Youth and the Countryside” by Li Dazhao is a pivotal text that initiated the “Going to the People” movement in China. Scholars have long focused either on its similarity with Russian populism or on its impact on Chinese Communist revolution later on. This paper attempts to situate the essay in its historical context and to delineate the process how the countryside as a problem emerged in Li Dazhao’s thinking. In “Youth and the Countryside,” the rural problem is closely associated with Li’s reflections on youth problems. Accordingly, the emergence of the countryside as a problem can only be possible after Li formed an understanding of class issues through his concept of “common people.”

Key words： Li Dazhao; youth; the countryside; boundary; Russian populism