Chinese Modern Literature And Christianty

The specific background for Christianity to influence Chinese modem literature can be generalized as the following categories: firstly, a literary background. At the beginning of the 2O~ century China was shrouded in the light and holy spirit of Christianity. Christian churches and their adherents had appeared as a part of China抯 social life. The great majority of Chinese writers had been influenced by the Bible, or received their education in schools and colleges established by churches, and even juiced Christian groups. Secondly, a linguistic background. The Chinese version of the Bible had already appeared and had exerted potential influence on Chinese vernacular literature both in words and literary feelings. Thirdly, a social background. Western literature enhanced the existence of Chinese modem literature. It had also introduced to Chinese writers the various new terms in western literature, such as humanism, romanticism, realism, and modernism. These in turn brought about the consciousness of Christianity which established as the general back ground of thes~ literary thoughts and those symbolic artistic feelings like egoism, sentiment, confession, love and mystery. This consciousness of Christianity made Chinese man of letters realized that a literary man should also be a religious man in the other way, Finally, an idee logical background. The cultural pioneers during May 4~ Movement in 1919 hoped to enlighten the consciousness of the massy Chinese with Christian enterprising belief, morality of personality and the spirit of universal love after introspecting the national culture and examining western culture. At the same time Christianity satisfied the self-enlighten unmeant need of those Chinese writers who were searching for their spiritual homeland. Under the influence of the above-mentioned background it is necessary for Chinese modern culture to absorb the elements of Christian culture, as Chinese society could not shake off the influence of western civilization during its uansformation and cultural seledinon at the beginningof 2O~ century and the time long before it. But, comparatively speaking, Christianity met with unprecedented difficulty when it first merged in front of the Chinese people as a category of western culture. Their indifference and rejection toward religion found its origin in the profound influence of Chinese culture and the anticivilization mode of Christianity which made its existence into Chinese society as an auxiliary products of the western armed invasion. This essay intends to look into the positive and neeative influence of Christianity upon Chinese modem writers and Chinese modern literature as a category of western culture. Christianity as the general back ground of western literature is also a part of it. The essay especially exemplifies the role of Christianity in subculture eate~ories including cognition culture, value culture and aesthetic culture in the modernization of Chinese culture. The attention of Chinese modem intellectuals to religious influences was in fact the auxiliary products in their meditation and transplantation of western culture to build Chinese modem culture. This was, on the one hand, guided by the thinkers of the 1898 Reform Movement who had endeavored seek cultural sources in traditional religions; and, on the other had, influences by the important role of Christianity this category of western culture. The cultural exploration of Chinese intellectuals in Christianity was rather painstaking, not only because the transcendent beliefs of Christianity and western scientificistm rationalism, materialism which were introduced into China at...