On September 15, 1915, Chen Duxiu founded the monthly "New Youth" in Shanghai (the first volume was called "Youth Magazine", and it was renamed "New Youth" from the second volume onwards), "New Youth" It mainly promotes new ideas and trends. It is the central publication for anti-feudalism and democratic revolution. It played a huge role in guiding public opinion during the May 4th Movement and influenced an entire generation of young people. The article "Advice to Youth" is Chen Duxiu's inaugural address for "New Youth".

In "Advice to the Youth", Chen Duxiu put it straight to the point that young people are the hope of China's future. "Youth is like the early spring, like the morning sun, like the sprouting of hundreds of flowers, like the new hair of a sharp knife. The most important thing in life is It is a precious period. The society of youth is like the metabolism of fresh and lively cells in the human body. The old and decayed ones are always eliminated naturally, so the fresh and lively ones are given their place in space and the life of time. If the body is filled with old and decayed cells, the body will die; if the society respects the way of metabolism, it will prosper; if the society is filled with old and decayed elements, the society will die." The author uses poetic language to vividly explain the importance of young people to the country and society. important role.

In "Advice to Youth", Chen Duxiu first advocated that young people should have a scientific spirit and advocated equal emphasis on science and human rights. "Chinese people who want to escape from the age of ignorance and are ashamed of being a simple people should catch up and pay equal attention to science and human rights." On this basis, Chen Duxiu further proposed that an important task of "Youth Magazine" is to use science and democracy to "transform The thoughts of young people and the cultivation of young people."

How should science and democracy be rooted in their ideas? "Advice to the Youth" puts forward six standards for young people and demonstrates them one by one: (1) To be independent and not slaves. "The liberator is to break away from the shackles of the slave husband and complete his independent and free personality." (2) Progressive rather than conservative, "Those who cannot change and keep pace with the changes will see that they are not suitable for the survival of the environment, and will retreat to nature and become obsolete"; (3) Enterprising rather than reclusive, "European custom says The highest virtue is to be vigorous and vigorous, leisure and tranquility are the beauty in Asia, and the reasons for the strength and weakness of Eastern and Western nations are compared and analyzed; (4) global rather than national; (5) practical rather than illusory, "All empty words and fantasies that are of no use to real life will be thrown away"; (6) Scientific rather than imaginative, "Every matter is prosperous or detailed, and scientific laws are not used to determine its gains and losses." Violation." The requirements of these six standards are all based on the practice at that time, emphasizing the opposition to feudal autocracy and feudal ethics that serve the landlord class since ancient times, and promoting freedom, democracy and scientific spirit.

The scientific spirit and democratic spirit advocated by "Advice to Youth" sounded the clarion call of the New Culture Movement and sang the strong voice of the times. "Mr. Sai" and "Mr. Virtue" became the banners leading the direction of the New Culture Movement, enlightening the wisdom of the vast number of young people, stimulating the enthusiasm of patriotic young people to explore the path of national salvation and self-reliance, and influencing an entire generation of young people. Mao Zedong later commented that Chen Duxiu was "the commander-in-chief of the May Fourth Movement" and "all our generation are his students." Yun Daiying even wrote in a letter to "New Youth" that after watching "Advice to the Youth", "I gradually woke up, and it was like seeing the light in a dark place. To all the gentlemen of "New Youth", we I can’t thank you enough.”