The Study Of Socioeconomic Thought Of Chen Zhenhan

Chen Zhenhan (1912.7.3-2008.1.9) is a very important economist in Chinese modern history. He is not only a famous intellectual during the Republic of China era, but also a crucial contributor to economic researches of New China. And his socio-economic ideas have a great historical and practical significance.The development of Chen Zhenhan’s socio-economic thought went through four stages. The first stage is from its formulation to 1943. In this stage, Chen Zhenhan learned economic theories systematically and began his preliminary thinking on China’s social and economic problems. As studying in Nankai University, he published a paper named as Analysis of existing difficulties of China’s industry with Fang Xianting, which could be seen as the sign of formation of his socio-economic thought. The second Stage which is called development period is from 1943 to 1945. After returning to motherland Chen Zhenhan combined his knowledge of economic theories with the realities of China’s society and expressed a series of views on socio-economic problems under the background of the Sino-Japanese War. Simultaneously, he began to study the development path of China’s economic after war. The third stage which is taken as mature stage is from 1945 to 1949. After war, Chen ZhenHan fiercely criticized the incompetence of the government in solving social and economic problems of china and came to the conclusion that China’s social and economic issues rooted in politics. Then based on his comprehensive analyses of relationships between economy and politics, tradition and reality, plan and market, he showed his systematical views on development path of China’s economic. The fourth stage is since 1949 when his thought was in transition. In the period of People’s Republic of China, his academic research was focused on the study of economic history. In 1949 he assisted in the preparation of a report called comments on the current work of economic science. In this report, his own thinking of China’s economic development was reflected. After the reform and opening up, with a lot of editing and publishing of his academic achievements, his socio-economic thought was showed more clearly and played a new role in the economic construction of the Socialism with Chinese characteristics.There are four greatest parts in Chen Zhenhan’s socio-economic thought. The first part contains his understanding about the relationship between politics and economics. Chen Zhenhan believed that there was a close relationship which could not be split totally between politics and economics. Economists who study China’s social and economic problems cannot ignore the political environment because there is a wide range of interaction between them. The second part is about the researches on causes of social and economic problems of modern China. From a macro-historical perspective, Chen Zhenhan believed that China’s economy had gone from leading to backwardness. And modern China’s economic development was faced with bad effect from external oppression, political corruption, social inequality, lack of capital and other constraints. The third part is the exploration for solving China’s social and economic problems. Chen Zhenhan believed that the key to the development of the society and economic of china was the reform of politics. The fourth part is thinking about the choice of China’s social and economic system. After the study on economic concepts and issues of capitalism, free economy, planned economy, socialism and so on, Chen Zhenhan believed that China had lost the opportunity to develop a capitalist economy; and the planned economy model of Soviet Union or other countries is neither suitable for China. China should adopt a hybrid system for socialist economic.Chen Zhenhan’s socio-economic thought is characterized in comprehensiveness and caring for people’s well-being. Chen Zhenhan’s approach such as the combination of the history and reality, the combination of politics and economy and dialectical views on an economic system has significant value in thinking about and solving today’s problems of socialist modernization.