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五四的時代性不單在於其帶來的文化啟蒙，或愛國主義的福音。 作為中國民主歷史的里程碑，五四運動見證著中國在憲政主義、自由主義、共和主義的民主實踐中尋求自身的命運時，卻在高呼「民族自決」的巴黎和會中得到了令人失望回應——中國的民主訴求需要另一條出路。與此同時，蘇聯十月革命展現一種新的民主模型，以世界社會主義聯邦超越了民族主義與資本主義的想象，進一步激進化當時的知識份子。

陳獨秀便為當中的代表人物，其人生可謂濃縮了中國尋找現代性的過程；從儒學到醉心西方思想，再轉向馬克思主義，最後成為托洛斯基主義者，儘管歷經轉折，但民主仍作為其思想的根基，不可動搖。他眼中的五四，是未完成的民主革命中的 一個重要座標，而與之詮譯相對照的，是以五四為其「新民主主義」辯護的毛澤東。這兩位中國共產主義領導人，如何在革命浪潮中重塑五四的歷史意義與政治指向？他們關於五四的論述，將帶領中國前哪一種未來？新左學社邀請了英國著名漢學家班國瑞，講述陳獨秀與毛澤東眼中的兩場五四運動，和他們在中國的 社會主義民主實踐。

｜活動詳情：
講座日期及時間：2022 年 5 月 14 日 （六）7 pm - 9 pm
講者：英國威爾士卡迪夫大學歷史系教授班國瑞
場地：Zoom
名額：30 位

The epochal significance of the May Fourth Movement is not only about the cultural enlightenment or the gospel of patriotism that it brought. As a milestone in the history of democracy in China, the May Fourth Movement witnessed China’s efforts in searching for its fate among Constitutionalism, Liberalism and Republicanism, thwarted in the Paris Peace Conference, where the slogan of “national self-determination” was chanted. This meant China would need another way out for the development of democracy. At the same time, the October Revolution in Russia unfolded a new model of democracy which transcends the nationalist and capitalist imaginations with an international socialist federation, further radicalizing the intellectuals at that time.
Chen Duxiu is a representative figure among them. His life can be described as the crystallization of China’s search for modernity. From Confucianism to Western thought, then Marxism, and finally Trotskyism, Chen’s dynamic thoughts remain faithful to democracy. The May Fourth Movement in his eye, is an important coordinate in the unfinished democratic revolution in China, standing in contrast to Mao Zedong’s May Fourth, which defended his idea of “New Democracy”. How did these two Chinese Communist leaders remake the historical significance and political direction of the May Fourth Movement amid the revolutionary wave? What kind of future will their discourses on May Fourth lead to in China? The New Left Society has invited  Gregor Benton, Emeritus Professor of Chinese History from Cardiff University, to talk about the two May Fourth Movements in the eyes of Chen Duxio and Mao Zedong, and their praxis of socialist democracy in China.

｜Details:
Date and Time: 13/5/2022 (Sat), 7pm (HKT)
Speaker: Prof. Gregor Benton
Venue: Zoom
Quota: 30