Author ｜
Yuchi Luo
Abstract ｜
The all-round upheaval experienced by Chinese society since the late Qing Dynasty provided an opportunity and fertile ground for the creation of new concepts, with jiefang 解放emerging as a key term in modern and contemporary political discourse. The movement to end foot-binding among women in the late Qing Dynasty and the spread of Western learning facilitated the association of “jiefang” with abstract themes beyond its conventional, physical connotation. During the May Fourth Movement, “jiefang” became a new buzzword, with debates on women’s “jiefang” taking two competing directions: individual liberation and social liberation. However, among the general populace, “jiefang” had not yet gained full legitimacy. With the unfolding of the National Revolution and the convening of the First National Congress of the Kuomintang and the initiation of cooperation between the KMT and the Communist Party of China (CCP), “national jiefang” became a hot topic of the era. Through the interpretation of Lenin and the Communist International and further promotion by the CCP, “national jiefang” gradually became integrated into the system of communist discourse, alongside movements such as “class revolution” and “worker-peasant alliance.” As the people embraced “national liberation,” the reinterpreted “jiefang” was also quietly accepted, and its class-based core gradually extended to other topics. At this stage, the legitimacy of “jiefang” gained consensus among different social strata, becoming a symbol of a bright future in the minds of the people.
keywords ｜
jiefang, women, Minzu, jieji, Conceptual History