Anarchism in China

Anarchism in China was a strong, perhaps predominant, intellectual force in the reform and revolutionary movements in early 20th century China, insisting that the overthrow of the Qing dynasty was not sufficient, but that a true revolution had to overthrow traditional culture and social practices. The late 19th and early 20th Nihilist movement and anarchist communism in Russia, which borders China, were major source of anarchist influence. The use of assassination as a tool was promoted by groups like the Chinese Assassination Corps, similar to the widespread use of suicidal terror attacks by Russian anti-czarist groups. Chinese students in Japan and France eagerly sought out anarchist doctrines to first understand their home country and then to change it. These groups relied on education, especially Work-Study Programs, to create a new culture in which strong government would not be needed. By the 1920s, however, the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party offered programs of organizational strength and political change which drew support away from anarchists.

The first explicitly and recognizably anarchist presence originated in France and Japan with the Chinese study abroad programs for the children of wealthy families that were established after the failed Boxer Rebellion. While not accessible to the vast majority of the population, by 1906 these programs had attracted between five and six hundred students to Europe and about 10,000 to Japan. Japan, especially Tokyo, was the most popular destination because of its geographic proximity to China, its relatively affordable cost, and certain natural affinities between the two cultures (for example, the Japanese language uses Chinese characters extensively, facilitating communication and livability). In Europe, Paris was particularly popular because it was relatively cheap, the French government helped to subsidize the students, and because France was seen as the center of Western civilization.

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