''Farewell to Revolution: Looking Back Upon China of the Twentieth Century'' () is a book written by Chinese philosopher

Li Zehou Li Zehou ( zh, s=李泽厚, hp=; 13 June 1930 – 2 November 2021) was a Chinese scholar of philosophy and intellectual history. He is considered an influential modern scholar of Chinese history and culture whose work was central to the period ...

and Liu Zaifu, and published by Cosmos Books Ltd. in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. The text criticises China's revolutionary path and favors incremental reform. Its publication prompted significant debate between different schools of political thought. It led to increasing divisions between liberal intellectuals and

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

intellectuals over the legacy of the New Enlightenment.

Content

Li and Liu argue in this book that

class conflict In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

will always exist, and should be solved via class reconciliation rather than

class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

, and thus oppose

orthodox Marxism Orthodox Marxism is the body of Marxist thought which emerged after the deaths of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the late 19th century, expressed in its primary form by Karl Kautsky. Kautsky's views of Marxism dominated the European Marxis ...

. Li and Liu advocate "reform rather than revolution" and claim that the revolution has been "screwed up". They say that if China had followed the path of

Kang Youwei Kang Youwei (; Cantonese: ''Hōng Yáuh-wàih''; 19March 185831March 1927) was a political thinker and reformer in China of the late Qing dynasty. His increasing closeness to and influence over the young Guangxu Emperor sparked confli ...

and

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

constitutional reform A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...

, China might have gotten better results; and propose the "four-stage agenda" of China's modernization as development of economy, individual liberty, social justice, and democracy. Despite being questioned about their opposition to all revolutions, in a series of subsequent interviews they expressed their opposition only to the "violent French type revolution" and their support for the " glorious British type revolution".

Reception and impact

The book has been highly controversial since its publication. Many scholars have described Li's views in the book as "

cultural conservatism Cultural conservatism is described as the protection of the cultural heritage of a nation state, or of a culture not defined by state boundaries. It is sometimes associated with criticism of multiculturalism, and anti-immigration sentiment. B ...

" or "

neoconservatism Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...

". Chinese officials and some scholars have even called Li's claims in the book " historical nihilism". The book also led to the increasing divergence of perspective between liberal intellectuals and

intellectuals over the New Enlightenment legacy, as New Left intellectuals viewed the book as a veiled

neoliberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...

effort to depoliticise radical thinking and legitimate end-of-history liberal triumphalism.

References

{{portal bar, Books, China, Conservatism 1995 non-fiction books Books about the Cultural Revolution Books about politics of China Conservatism in China Works about the 1911 Revolution