Editing New Youth (section)

== Significant articles ==

=== "The Draft of Literature Revolution" (Chinese: [[:zh:文学改良刍议|文学改良刍议]]) ===
The ideas behind Hu Shi's literary revolution were rooted in his various personal experiences. Initially, it was the pamphlets from Zhong Wen'ao, a secretary at Tsinghua University's student supervision office, that sparked his thoughts on Chinese script reform. In 1915, he discussed the issue of romanizing Chinese characters with his friend Zhao Yuanren. However, Hu believed that Chinese characters, as an educational medium, could not be abolished, leading him to propose that teaching methods be improved. The real motivation for Hu to consider replacing classical Chinese with vernacular Chinese came from his discussions with friends like Mei Guangdi and Ren Shuyong at Ithaca from the summer of 1915 to August 1916. These debates made Hu more radical, leading him to propose the slogan "literary revolution," which he first mentioned in a poem in 1915. Despite opposition from Mei and others, Hu became more convinced of the potential of vernacular literature and decided to stop writing in classical Chinese, focusing instead on vernacular poetry.<ref>ii.	Zhang Wenlu. "The Birth of 'A Modest Proposal for Literary Reform'." ''Journal of Literature and History'', no. 12, 2014, pp. 77–80.</ref>

On January 1, 1917, Volume 2, Number 5, Hu Shi published "Wen xue gai liang chu yi", which put "not avoiding vulgar words and phrases" at the end, with the purpose of "solemnly putting forward my proposition of vernacular literature",<ref>{{Cite book |title=Jian she li lun ji |date=2003 |publisher=Shang hai wen yi chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5321-2512-8 |editor-last=Hu |editor-first=Shi |edition=Ying yin ben; di 1 ban |series=Zhong guo xin wen xue da xi / Zhao Jia bi zhu bian |location=Shang hai |editor-last2=Cai |editor-first2=Yuanpei}}</ref> and ultimately came to the conclusion that "vernacular literature will be the authentic literature of China",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hu |first=Shi |date=1917 |title=Wen xue gai liang chu yi文学改良刍议 |journal=New Youth |volume=2 |issue=5}}</ref> which became the "fuse" that ignited the "Literary Revolution". Wen xue gai liang chu yi was published in ''New Youth'', Vol. 2, No. 5, and the correspondence between Hu and Chen in Vol. 2, No. 2, already reveals the mystery. Hu Shih's letter briefly mentions his proposed literary revolution, which "must begin with eight things," which are, in order, not to use diction, not to use stereotyped phrases, not to speak of counterpoints, not to avoid vulgar words and phrases, and to emphasize the structure of grammar, not to make a sickly speech, and not to be excessively sentimental, not to use classical expressions, and to be meaningful".<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Hu shi |first=Chen Duxiu |date=1917 |title=Tong xin通信 |journal=New Youth |volume=2 |issue=2}}</ref> In addition to his slight doubts about the fifth and eighth items, Chen Duxiu said, "The rest of the six things, they all join hands in admiration".<ref name=":1" />

=== "[[Diary of a Madman (Lu Xun)|A Madman's Diary]]" ===
On May 15, 1918, Volume 4, Number 5, Lu Xun published his first vernacular fiction, A Madman's Diary on New Youth. Lu Xun's works in New Youth are mainly a critique of nationalism, a loving compassion for distorted life, and a sense of self-torture and self-sacrifice. In these levels of expression, an extremely vivid discourse of self-examination is formed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sun |first=Yu |date=2019 |title=The discourse mode of new cultural people in May Fourth Movement – taking New Youth in 1918 and 1919 as an example |url= |journal=Wen Yi Zheng Ming |volume=05 |via=CNKI}}</ref> A Madman's Diary aesthetically creates a rhetoric of freedom contrary to the eight-legged literary style, introducing elements of modernity into the expression of the mother tongue in strangeness and tearing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gao |first=Dongyuan |date=2016 |title=The contemporary significance of Lu Xun's consciousness of "mutual subjectivity" |url= |journal=Tan Suo Yu Zheng Ming |volume=07 |via=CNKI}}</ref> Rather than closing off the mother tongue, it reopens the door to it. Traditional meaningful forms wormed their way to life under its pen.<!-- needs someone who's fluent in og language and english -->

=== "Plea to a crime" (Chinese: 罪案之答辩书) ===
"An Open Letter to the Youth" is the inaugural work of "Youth Magazine." In this article, Chen Duxiu expresses his earnest hopes for the youth, emphasizing their crucial role in the nation's survival and urging them to be conscious and courageous in their endeavors. He advocates for the equal importance of science and human rights, marking the beginning of the New Culture Movement and sounding its clarion call. Chen Duxiu critiques Confucianism and other feudal theories and morals, promoting democracy and opposing feudal autocracy. He champions a scientific attitude, rejects superstition, and underscores the need to use scientific rationality to address social issues, arguing that superstition is a root cause of national decline. Chen Duxiu's propositions aim to dismantle traditional beliefs, establish independent and autonomous character, and drive social progress.<ref>i.	丁小丽."对《敬告青年》《〈新青年〉罪案答辩书》的研读." 世纪桥 .02(2016):12–13. {{doi|10.16654/j.cnki.cn23-1464/d.2016.02.004}}.</ref>

In 1919, Vol. 6, No. 1, Chen Duxiu published "Zui an zhi da bian shu", and the "Da bian shu", which contained the following passage:

"My fellow-citizens were originally innocent, but it was only because of their support for Mr. Democracy and Mr. Science that they committed these monstrous sins. To support Mr. De one has to oppose Confucianism, ritual, chastity, old ethics, and old politics; to support Mr. Sai, one has to oppose old art and old religion; to support Mr. Deand Mr. Sai, one has to oppose the national essence and old literature. If you think about it carefully and calmly, do you know if there are any other crimes in this magazine apart from supporting Mr. De and Mr. Sai? If not, please do not to make special difficulties for this magazine, but to have the strength and courage to oppose Mr. De and Mr. Sai is the only way to be considered a good man, the only way to be considered fundamental."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Duxiu |date=1919 |title=Ben zhi zui an zhi Da bian shu本志罪案之答辩书 |journal=New Youth |volume=6 |issue=1}}</ref>

This passage has been quoted repeatedly by later historians. A closer look at Chen's argument suggests that support for Mr. De and Mr. Sai was the basic position of the New Youth, and that opposition to old ethics, old politics, old art, old religion, old literature, and other specific ideas were all based on this principle. Since the late Qing Dynasty, the concepts of democracy (civil rights, constitutionalism, republicanism) and science have been repeatedly advocated by the people of China (with different emphasis in different periods), and have become mainstream discourse among intellectual circles in the May Fourth Period.<ref name=":0" />