The new culture movement refers to the enlightenment thought against feudal culture in the early 20th century. Initiated by some radical bourgeois and petty bourgeois Democrats, the aim is to break the shackles of feudalism and strive to achieve a veritable bourgeois democracy and country. The new cultural movement began with 19 15' s Youth magazine founded by Chen Duxiu in Shanghai (19 16 was renamed New Youth in September, and 19 17 was moved to Beijing in early June). The representatives of this movement are: Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Hu Shi, Yi Baisha, and Qian. The basic contents of the movement are: advocating democracy, opposing feudal autocracy and ethics, demanding equality and freedom, liberating individuality, and advocating the establishment of a democratic Republic; Advocate science, oppose Confucius' retro thinking and idolatry, oppose superstition of ghosts and gods, and demand that everything be judged by reason and science; Advocate new literature, oppose old literature and classical Chinese, and carry out literary revolution and vernacular Chinese movement. Chen Duxiu published a warning to youth in the first issue of Youth, advocating democracy and science loudly. He pointed out: "China people should get rid of ignorance and be ashamed of being shallow. They should catch up and pay equal attention to science and human rights (democracy)." Chen Duxiu bravely attacked feudalism politics and culture and became the leader of the new culture movement. Li Dazhao, another main advocate of the New Culture Movement, has also published articles against the old ethics. He pointed out: "We are striving for the convenience of new life and the progress of new morality." "Although we risk destroying sacredness and illegality, we are not sympathetic." Wu Yu lashed out at the feudal patriarchal clan system and shouted: "Eating people is a moral problem! Ethical people are cannibals! " The literary revolution, known as the "old hero handed down from ancient times in Kongjiadian", is the main content of the New Culture Movement. 19 17, 1 In June, Hu Shi published "My humble opinion on literary improvement", proposing for the first time that vernacular literature should replace classical Chinese and vernacular literature should replace ancient Chinese literature. In February, Chen Duxiu published "On Literary Revolution", which clearly stated that literature was anti-feudal and unified the content and form of literary revolution. He put forward the "three principles" of the literary revolutionary army, namely: overthrowing aristocratic literature and building national literature; Pushing down classical literature and building realistic literature; Pushing down mountain forest literature and building social literature have really raised the banner of literary revolution. 19 18 In May, Lu Xun published the vernacular novel Diary of a Madman, which accused and mercilessly lashed the feudal ethics of cannibalism, set a good example of combining the form and content of literary revolution, and opened up the road of new literature in China.

The New Culture Movement is an unprecedented ideological emancipation and enlightenment movement, paving the way for the spread of Marxism in China. After the May 4th Movement, the New Culture Movement became an ideological movement to publicize Marxism and various socialist schools, and transformed the old democratic cultural movement into a new democratic cultural movement guided by Marxist theory. After the May 4th Movement, progressive newspapers and mass organizations have sprung up all over the country. Before the May 4th Movement, there were only a few publications that advocated new culture, such as New Youth, Weekly Review and Trendy. One year after the May 4th Movement, the number of newly published periodicals in China soared to more than 400. Among them, influential ones are: Weekly Review, Construction, Republic of China Daily Supplement and Awakening in Shanghai; China Youth, Dawn and New Society; Tianjin Federation of Students and the Awakening of Tianjin: Xiangjiang Review in Hunan: Sunday in Chengdu; Wuhan Weekly in Wuhan; "Zhejiang Fashion" in Zhejiang, and so on. The famous progressive societies before the May 4th Movement were: young chinese Society, National Magazine, Xinchao Society and Peking University Civic Education Lecture Group. "Xinmin Society" in Hunan; "Mutual Aid Society" in Hubei, etc. In the year after the May 4th Movement, there were about 300 or 400 progressive societies, the most famous of which was the "Work-study Mutual Aid Group" in Beijing. "Cultural Bookstore" and "Russian Research Association" in Hunan; Liqun Bookstore and * * * Depository in Hubei; Guangdong's "new student society"; The "Awakening Society" in Tianjin, as well as Marxist theory research societies established in various places. The active communication of these newspapers and mass organizations introduced Marxism, promoted the combination of Marxism and China workers' movement, and created conditions for the establishment of the * * * production party in China. The profound change of the new culture movement from content to form is one of the important signs of the transformation from the old democratic revolution to the new democratic revolution.