The Study Of Chen Duxiu's Communication Thoughts

Chen Duxiu is a statesman and scholar with important influence, also an outstanding journalist in modern China. He had started or edited over ten kinds of journals all his life. His journals, for example Anhui Colloquial Periodical, La Jeunesse, Comment Weekly and so on, had a far-reaching influence on revolution of politics, idea and culture in China. To analyze and study Chen's communication thoughts is of great importance in the study of the history of the communication thoughts in modern China.Chapter One outlines the evolution process of Chen's communication activities, the author has set chen's activities in the background of social and political revolution to study and analyze. Influenced by journalistic thoughts of Liang Qichao, Chen had an obvious political color to run newspaper. He esteemed the newspaper as an implement and way to spread his political thought; the change of the political thought is also one of the important factors for him to rearrange his ways of communication. According to Chen's political thought change and the aim of his running newspaper, this chapter divided his communication activities into three periods. The early period is to propagate revolution and to enlighten; the medium term is from the thought enlightenment to the comments on current politics; the later period is to participate in running party newspaper to perform the function of propaganda, organization and mobilization.In chapter two, by explaining Chen's article, the author discussed the primary contents of his communication thoughts in four aspects: the view of function, the view of public opinion, freedom of the press, professional characteristics of the reporters, the view of function was the body of Chen's communication thoughts which includes: communicating current affairs and enlightening; propaganda and fight; supervising the government and guiding people; organizing and mobilizing. Since the public opinion has two sides, Chen thought that the journals should not only guide the right public opnion, but also resist the blind public opinion. During the great social change. the primary function of journal to resist the public opinion is prior to represent the public opinion. During the period of the May Fourth Movement, Chen proposed a viewpoint of absolute freedom of the press based on individual liberty, he looked upon freedom of the press as source of creating civilization and the reason of developing an independent personality. Chen paid attention to the professional characteristics of reporter, he advocated idea of the statesman running a newspaper, and required the newsman to take the responsibility for guiding national revolution as national director.Chapter three discusses the features of Chen's communication thoughts, by connecting Chen's thoughts to the social and historical change, the author analyzes "change" and "unchangeableness" of the communication thoughts. The outstanding feature of Chen's communication thoughts was practical rationality. He maintained the rational attitude to deal with political change, and chose the specific way and manner of communication consciously to realize the great aim to transform the society and to save the country and the people. Chen's communication thought is also of characteristic of change, his communication thought varied with politics thought.Chapter four makes the historical appraisal to Chen's communication thoughts. Chen's communication thoughts has rich content, it not only drew experiences from elder journalist, but also condensed the thought about Chen's journal practice. During the period of May Fourth Movement, Chen advocated freedom of speech which takes the individual liberty as core and made free discussion in publication, this set a good example for coeval other journals. Chen's communication thought has made important influence on the development of thought of party newspaper in early stage. Before long, Views of Statesman Running Newspaper became main body of the thought of party paper. It is still the principle that is followed by party journalist until today. However, Chen's communication thought was a representative journalistic view on the basis of politics. No matter what the choice on communication method or communication strategy, both took politics as the standard of consideration and existed over simplified tendency. The requirement of political function destroyed normal growth of journalism as an independent discipline in a way. Chen was a famous thinker and remarkable statesman, his communication thought come down in one continuous line with political evolution in modern society. For one hand, the drastic change of the current political situation urged the development of Chen's communication thought. For the other hand, his communication thought has profound influence on idea and culture as well as political reform in modern China. Chen's communication thoughts were the theoretical crystallization of all journalists' ideas in that time.