Socialism and tradition: The formation and development of modern Chinese political culture

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between Chinese traditional culture and the official ideologies. The author argues that the “New Culture” Movement was a movement of ideological displacement. The acceptance of Marxism‐Leninism by China's new intellectuals was closely related to the structure of the traditional culture. The foundation of both Mao Zedong Thought and the Three Principles of the People is a combination of the deep structure of the traditional culture and reactive values. This is why the structure of contemporary Chinese political culture and the Confucian tradition are similar but not identical.