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

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