Editing New Youth (section)

==Publishing history==

[[Chen Duxiu]] founded "Youth Magazine" (Chinese:《青年杂志》) (later renamed "New Youth") in 1915 in [[Shanghai]], with the initial aim of spreading new thoughts and cultures–especially Western ideals of democracy and science–in order to promote the modernization and progress of Chinese society.<ref name="UN">{{Cite journal |last=Ash |first=Alec |date=6 September 2009 |title=China's New New Youth |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/chinabeatarchive/626/ |url-status=live |journal=The China Beat Blog Archive 2008–2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612103436/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/chinabeatarchive/626/ |archive-date=12 June 2020 |access-date=17 July 2020}}</ref> In 1921, Chen Duxiu became the cofounder of the [[Chinese Communist Party]].<ref>"China’s New Youth: On the Prowl for.” ''China Temper'', 2024, https://chinatemper.com/the-series/chinas-new-youth</ref>  He created the magazine with the hope that young people would express their opinions and thoughts to help save China, and that authors could offer new thoughts for young people at that time.<ref>Ash, Alec. “China’s New Youth.” ''China Beat Archive'', 2009, http://www.thechinabeat.org/.</ref> He also sought to advocate for a literary revolution by promoting the use of vernacular Chinese instead of classical Chinese, making literature more accessible to the general public. Another factor in his founding of the magazine was his desire to enlighten the youth; he considered them as the future of the nation, and he therefore wanted to foster in them a sense of patriotism and social responsibility. Chen Duxiu also aimed to critique feudal traditions and promote individual freedom and equality, driving social reform and progress.

Chen approached Wang Mengzhou, who was managing Yadong Library, with the idea of the magazine.<ref name=":RedInk">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Ying |title=Red Ink: A History of Printing and Politics in China |publisher=Royal Collins Press |year=2024 |isbn=9781487812737}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=19-22}} The library could not fund the magazine, and Wang therefore suggested that Chen approach Qunyi Publishing House to print and publish the magazine.<ref name=":RedInk" />{{Rp|page=22}} It agreed to do so and paid Chen 200 yuan per month for manuscripts and editing.<ref name=":RedInk" />{{Rp|page=22}}

In September 1916 the Youth Magazine was renamed New Youth. The reason for the name change was that the Shanghai YMCA accused the Youth Magazine of having a similar name, and demanded that the name be changed.<ref name=":RedInk" />{{Rp|page=22}} Historians have inferred from this that "the word 'new' was added to match the name with its advocacy of new ideas and culture."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Xiao Chaoran |title=Bei jing da xue yu wu si yun dong |date=1995 |publisher=Bei jing da xue chu ban she |isbn=978-7-301-02904-6 |edition=2 |location=Bei jing}}</ref> Chen Duxiu agreed to the name change, possibly to avoid conflict and or to give the magazine a fresh and distinctive identity that aligned with its mission of promoting new thoughts and culture.

The term "youth" was not originally part of the Chinese lexicon. It was introduced by missionaries around the turn of the 20th century. The YMCA, which was established globally in 1844 and introduced to China in 1876, had a significant influence on the use of the term. The YMCA's focus on youth work and publications aimed at educating and influencing young people underscored the term's adoption in Chinese society.<ref>a)	吕明涛."《青年》杂志与《青年杂志》." 书屋 .08(2005):63–66.</ref>

Its headquarters moved to [[Beijing]] in January 1917 when Chen was appointed Chairman of the Chinese Literature Department at [[Peking University]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Xia|first=Chen|date=15 September 2015|title=New Youth magazine's former office restored in Beijing|url=http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2015-09/15/content_36590525.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014184413/http://china.org.cn/arts/2015-09/15/content_36590525.htm|archive-date=14 October 2015|access-date=17 July 2020|website=China.org.cn}}</ref> The team of editors and authors gradually expanded. In Volume 3 of the magazine, senior scholars such as Zhang Shizhao, Cai Yuanpei, and Qian Xuantong were added to the group of authors; however, there were also contributions from young students such as [[Yun Daiying]], [[Mao Zedong]], Chang Naide, and Huang Lingshuang. In August 1917, after the publication of the third volume of New Youth, the Qunyi Book Club found it difficult to continue publishing because of the lack of wide distribution and poor sales, and suspended the publication for a while.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Wang |first=Qi sheng |title=Ge ming yu fan ge ming: she hui wen hua shi ye xia de min guo zheng zhi |date=2010 |publisher=She hui ke xue wen xian chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5097-1237-5 |location=Bei jing}}</ref> After Chen Duxiu's vigorous negotiation, the book club reluctantly agreed to renew the publication at the end of the year.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tang |first1=Baolin |title=Chen Du xiu nian pu: 1879–1942 |last2=Lin |first2=Maosheng |date=1988 |publisher=Shang hai ren min chu ban she |isbn=978-7-208-00088-9 |location=Shang hai}}</ref> In January 1918, New Youth was republished after a 4-month hiatus. Volume 4 was joined by [[Zhou Zuoren]], [[Shen Yinmo]], Shen Jianshi, [[Chen Daqi]] and Wang Xingqiong. Volume 6 was edited by [[Chen Duxiu]], [[Qian Xuantong]], [[Gao Yihan]], [[Hu Shih]], [[Li Dazhao]], [[Shen Yinmo]], all of whom were professors at Peking University. Thus, New Youth was transformed from a local publication dominated by Anhui people to a "national" publication dominated by Peking University professors.<ref name=":0" /> Those editors initiated the New Culture Movement, promoting science, democracy, and [[Vernacular Chinese]] literature.<ref name="Dissent" /><ref name="Cambridge-271" />

Influenced by the 1917 [[Russia]]n [[October Revolution]], ''La Jeunesse'' increasingly began to promote [[Marxism]], becoming increasingly aligned with the [[Chinese Communist Party]].<ref name="UN" /> The trend accelerated after the departure of [[Hu Shih]], who later became the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]'s Education Minister. Beginning with the September 1, 1920 issue, ''La Jeunesse'' began to openly support communism when its editorial office was moved back to Shanghai,<ref>Xia, Chen. “New Youth Magazine’s Former Office Restored in Beijing,” China.org.cn, 2015. http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2015-09/15/content_36590525.htm</ref> and with the June 1923 issue it became the official [[Chinese Communist Party]] theoretical journal. It was shut down in 1926 by the [[Nationalist government]]. ''La Jeunesse'' influenced thousands of Chinese young people, including many leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.