Carsun Chang (

Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan langua ...

for (; 1886–1969), also known as Chang Chun-mai (), was a prominent Chinese philosopher, public intellectual and political figure. Carsun Chang was a

social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

politician.

Biography

A pioneering theorist of human rights in the Chinese context, Chang established his own small "Third Force" democratic party during the Nationalist era. Chang supported German-style

social democracy Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...

while opposing

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

, and guild socialism. He supported

socialization In sociology, socialization or socialisation (see spelling differences) is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and cul ...

of major industries such as railroads and mines to be run by a combination of government officials, technicians, and consumers. The development of a

mixed economy A mixed economy is variously defined as an economic system blending elements of a market economy with elements of a planned economy, markets with state interventionism, or private enterprise with public enterprise. Common to all mixed economie ...

in China, like that advocated by the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been ...

under Philipp Scheidemann. Equipped with the traditional Confucian degree of ''xiucai'' or "accomplished scholar", Chang went on to study at

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

in Japan where he came under the influence of

Liang Qichao Liang Qichao (Chinese: 梁啓超 ; Wade-Giles: ''Liang2 Chʻi3-chʻao1''; Yale: ''Lèuhng Kái-chīu'') (February 23, 1873 – January 19, 1929) was a Chinese politician, social and political activist, journalist, and intellectual. His thou ...

's theory of constitutional monarchy. In 1918 he accompanied Liang's tour of post-war Europe, later going to Germany to study philosophy for a short time at

Berlin University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. While in Germany he came under the influence of the teachings of Rudolf Eucken (1846–1926) and

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopherHenri Bergson. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 13 August 2014, from https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61856/Henri-Bergson Le Roy, ...

(1859–1941). With

Hans Driesch Hans Adolf Eduard Driesch (28 October 1867 – 17 April 1941) was a German biologist and philosopher from Bad Kreuznach. He is most noted for his early experimental work in embryology and for his neo-vitalist philosophy of entelechy. He has also ...

, who was formerly Eucken's student, Chang travelled throughout China in the early 1920s, serving as Driesch's Chinese translator as he lectured on Eucken's philosophical vision. In 1922, Chang led a committee which drafted an outline for a constitution with a federal system of government. In 1923 Chang gave a lecture at

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbr. THU) is a national public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. The university is a member of the C9 League, Double First Class University Plan, Projec ...

, the title was "outlook on life (人生觀)". Soon after, his speech was published on Tsinghua weekly (淸華週刊), this led to polemics over science and metaphysics (also known as the "worldview controversy"). He wrote extensively on what now forms part of modern neo-Confucianism. With Zhang Dongsun, he organized a National Socialist Party (not connected with the Nazis in Germany). In 1933 he and

Huang Yanpei Huang Yanpei (; 1 October 1878 – 21 December 1965) was a Chinese educator, writer, and politician. He was a founding pioneer of the China Democratic League. Life Huang was born in Neishidi, Chuansha, Jiangsu (now part of Pudong, Shanghai) duri ...

organized the

China Democratic League The China Democratic League (CDL) is one of the eight legally recognized minor political parties in the People's Republic of China under the Chinese Communist Party's United Front. The CDL was originally founded in 1941 as an umbrella coalition ...

, a Third Force party with strong commitments to liberal doctrines of

separation of powers Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typi ...

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

and

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

. The political scientist Qian Duansheng criticized Chang as "neither an organizer himself nor a man able to pick capable men to organize for him."

John F. Melby John Fremont Melby (July 1, 1913 – December 18, 1992) was a United States diplomat, who served in the Soviet Union from 1943 to 1945 and in China from 1945 to 1948. He held other positions with the Department of State until 1953, when he was dism ...

, an American diplomat who knew Chang during the war, felt that Chang was as "unrealistic" as his brother, Chang Kia-ngau, was hard headed. As a scholar, Melby conceded, Chang was "highly intelligent and well educated," but as a politician he was "utopian" and "ineffectual." After the war against Japan, Chang became the chairman of the

China Democratic Socialist Party The China Democratic Socialist Party (CDSP; ) was a Chinese political party founded in Shanghai on 14 August 1946. It was formed through the merger of the former Chinese National Socialist Party (; their preferred shorthand name was "Socialists ...

. Opposed to the Chinese communists, but also dissatisfied with

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

's noncompliance with the constitution, Carsun Chang went to the United States after 1949. The Democratic Socialist Party moved to Taiwan afterwards and continued resisting the implementation of a one-party dictatorship and oppression by the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...

though its very survival in Taiwan was due to its tacit cooperation with the Kuomintang. Carsun Chang reappeared in 1962 calling for the unity of the party, but returned to the United States before his death in 1969.

Family

Carsun Chang was the older brother of the prominent banker and politician Chang Kia-ngau (Zhang Jia'ao). His sister, Zhang Youyi, was an educator, banker, and the first wife of poet

Xu Zhimo Xu Zhimo (, , Mandarin: , 15 January 1897 – 19 November 1931) was a Chinese romantic poet who strove to loosen Chinese poetry from its traditional forms and to reshape it under the influences of Western poetry and the vernacular Chinese langu ...

References

Works

*Chang, Carsun. ''The Third Force in China.'' New York: Bookman Associates, 1952. *Chang, Carsun. ''The Development of Neo-Confucian Thought.'' 2 vols. New York: Bookman Associates, 1957-1962.
Vol. 2
*Chang, Carsun
''Wang Yang-ming: Idealist philosopher of sixteenth-century China''
Jamaica, NY: St. John's University Press, 1962. *Chang, Carsun, and Rudolf Eucken. ''Das Lebensproblem in China und in Europa.'' Leipzig: Quelle & Meyer, 1922. *Chang, Carsun, and Kalidas Nag. ''China and Gandhian India.'' Calcutta: The Book Company, 1956. *Chang, Carsun et al. (1958). ''A Manifesto on the Reappraisal of Chinese Culture; Our Joint Understanding of the Sinological Study Relating to World Cultural Outlook.'' *Chang, Carsun. ''Guoxian yi'' (1921). In ''Xian Zheng zhi dao'' (Beijing: Qinghua daxue chubanshe, 2006a). *Chang, Carsun. ''Minzu fuxing de xueshu jichu'' (1935). Beijing: Zhongguo renmin daxue chubanshe, 2006b. *Chang, Carsun. ''Mingri zhi Zhongguo wenhua'' (1936). Beijing: Zhongguo renmin daxue chubanshe, 2006c. *Chang, Carsun. ''Li guo zhi dao'' (1938). In ''Xian Zheng zhi dao'' (Beijing: Qinghua daxue chubanshe, 2006d). *Chang, Carsun. ''Yili xue shi jiang gangyao'' (1955). Beijing: Zhongguo renmin daxue chubanshe, 2006. *Chang, Carsun. ''Bijiao Zhong Ri Yangming xue.'' Taipei: Taiwan shangwu yinshu guan, 1955. *Chang, Carsun. ''Bianzheng weiwu zhuyi bolun.'' Hong Kong: Youlian chubanshe, 1958. *Chang, Carsun. ''Zhongguo zhuanzhi junzhu zhengzhi pingyi.'' Taipei: Hongwen guan chubanshe, 1986. *Chang, Carsun. ''Rujia zhexue zhi fuxing.'' Beijing: Zhongguo renmin daxue chubanshe, 2006. *Chang, Carsun, and Wenxi Cheng. ''Zhong Xi Yin zhexue wenji.'' 2 vols. Taipei: Taiwan xuesheng shuju, 1970. *Chang, Carsun, and Huayuan Xue. ''Yijiusijiu nian yihou Zhang Junmai yanlun ji.'' Taipei : Daoxiang chubanshe, 1989.

Secondary sources

* * * * *Xinzhong Yao, ed. (2003). ''RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism''. London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, Vol. 2, pp. 799–800.

External links