La Jeunesse

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Not to be confused with Lajeunesse.
Cover of New Youth
Cover of New Youth

La Jeunesse, or New Youth (Chinese: 新青年; pinyin: Xīn Qīngnián) was an influential Chinese revolutionary magazine in the 1920s that played an important role during the May Fourth Movement.

The magazine was started by Chen Duxiu in Shanghai on 15 September 1915. Its headquarters were moved to Beijing in January 1917. Editors included Chen Duxiu, Qian Xuantong, Gao Yihan, Hu Shih, Li Dazhao, Shen Yinmo, and Lu Xun. It initiated the New Culture Movement, promoting science, democracy, and Vernacular Chinese literature.

Being influenced by the 1917 Russian October Revolution, La Jeunesse also began to promote Marxism and its philosophy. From September 1920, La Jeunesse became a propaganda tool of the Communist Party of China. It was shut down in 1926. In the early days, La Jeunesse had influenced thousands of Chinese youngsters including many leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

[edit] References

  • Schwarcz, Vera. The Chinese Enlightenment: Intellectuals and the Legacy of the May Fourth Movement of 1919. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.