A Research on Chang Chien’s Thought on Local Self-Government

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Chang Chien (1853-1926) was a native of Nant’ung, Kiangsu. In spite of the various works on Chang Chien, which testify to the significance of his role in modern China, Chang Chien’s thought on local self-government is still not well-researched. The purposes of this paper are firstly, to analyze Chang Chien’s thought on local self-government systematically and clearly in the hope that it may become a useful reference for researchers on modern China, and secondly, to stimulate scholars for further research. This paper depends more on basic source materials rather than second-hand data. Among various source materials, Chang Chien’s Diary, The Nine Records of Chang Chien and The Complete Work of Chang Chien are the most important. Chang Chien’s thought on local self-government may be summarized as follows: 1) Local self-government under gentry in promoting industry, education and other local affairs as a means of saving China; 2) Local government as basis of the constitutional monarchy; 3) Local self-government as basis of the republic. The paper has also discussed the background to Chang Chien’s thought on local self-government, the factors which shaped it, how it developed, and its long-term impact.