Self-Debasement and Westernization: Yu Dafu and the Development of China’s National Identity

<p> </p> <p>At the turn of the 20th century, the Qing Dynasty was failing, causing significant<br> unrest that led to the 1911 Xinhai Rebellion. This turmoil brought about the New Culture<br> Movement, obsessed with the idea of saving China, often through the rejection of traditional<br> ideals and ways of life in favor of Western ones. As this movement progressed, intellectuals<br> became concerned with China as a national identity, which was reflected in the first writings of<br> modern Chinese literature. However, this push for a strong “Chinese” identity was rife with<br> self-loathing and a catering to Western perspectives which resulted in an exacerbation of Chinese<br> weakness, harmful sino-centric practices, and negative effects on the Chinese youth who were<br> hurt by the heavy push for westernized education and study abroad. In this paper, I will argue<br> that the pains felt from the New Culture Movement, while initially caused by Western influence,<br> were perpetuated by the detrimental effects of ideology pushed by Chinese intellectuals obsessed<br> with China’s sickness. This paper will examine the development of Chineseness during the New<br> Culture Movement through analysis of the Chinese sickness metaphor in historical context and<br> close reading of Yu Dafu’s 1921 short story "Sinking". The paper will focus on the development<br> of Chineseness and "Sinking" and the complications that arose from modernization and how Yu<br> Dafu addresses the complications of study abroad and the standardization of language through<br> the protagonist’s thoughts and experiences.</p> <p><br> </p>