The Sociological Movement in China

Abstract

THE formation of the Chinese Sociological Society, known in Chinese as Chung Kuo Hsi Hui Hsueh Hsi, at a national convention held at Shanghai in February, 1930, and attended by more than two hundred delegates and visitors from all parts of China, marks another milestone in the history of the sociological movement' in China. The present paper is a brief account of this movement with an explanation of its purpose and its scope of work. It should be mentioned at the outset that the sociological movement in China is not a program of any single man or any single group of men, but is the outcome of a variety of efforts to develop the young science of sociology in China by unrelated groups of people. Like any other social or intellectual movement, the sociological movement aims at fulfilling certain specific needs in present-day China. It is hardly necessary to explain that there is tremendous sociological significance in what is going on in China. 'What are the principal causes of social disintegration in Old China? Why has China not been able to resist successfully the invasion of Western patterns of culture? What are the underlying principles of social changes in China? How do we find out these underlying principles? What are China's major social problems and how can they be solved? These questions are asked daily by millions of public-spirited and conscientious men and women in China.