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The Making and Unmaking of the Chinese Radical Right, 1918–1951
Utilising archives in mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and the USA, Nagatomi Hirayama examines the pivotal role of the Chinese Youth Party in China in the transformative years 1918-51. Tracing the party's birth in 1923 during the May Fourth movement, its revolutionary path to the late 1930s, and its de-radicalization in the 1940s, Hirayama discusses the emergence of the Chinese Youth Party as a robust revolutionary movement on the right, characterized by its cultural conservatism, political intellectualism, and national socialism. Although its history is relatively unknown, Hirayama argues that the Chinese Youth Party represented a serious competitor to the Chinese Communist Party and Guomindang, and proved to be of particular significance during World War II and China's Civil War. Shedding light on the ideas and practices of the Chinese Youth Party provides a significant lens through which to view the Chinese radical right in the first half of the twentieth century.
275 pages, Hardcover
Published June 23, 2022
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September 3, 2025
This book fills an important hole in the standard narrative of Republican China, by telling the story of the Chinese Youth Party (CYP). It starts from its origins in the May Fourth movement, taking a detour to France with the work-study program, to the nacional socialist period in the Dongbei and Sichuan and finally it arrives at the democratic liberal period in the Civil War. It is a revisionist history, and as such it sometimes tries too hard to make the case for the role and importance of the CYP.
One important issue of the text is the reluctance to call the CYP fascist, instead choosing the name "national socialist", which actually doesn't seem like an improvement. The reasoning of the author is that the CYP was not racist like the Nazis. However, not every fascist was like the Nazis, the Spanish dictatorship of Franco being a relevant example. However it doesn't detract much from the author's thesis, since it seems to me the reductionism of identifying fascism and Nazism is common nowadays and it is correct to try to avoid it.
Nevertheless, sometimes I wish the concept of fascism could be used more properly in the ample manner in which it was used in the 30s/40s. This would in fact be greatly helpful even in contemporary discussions on the topic of the current rightist movements.
Another important issue is the comparison that the author makes in the conclusion between the CYP and the current CPC ideology. Although Nagatomi Hirayama makes the correct conclusion of saying that in fact although there is a superficial resemblance the way the ideas are used by both countries are in fact different, it would've been nice to make this case in a more historical manner. The CYP, the CPC and the GMD shared a common milieu of ideas, and that is why some concepts like wealth and power, confucianism or nationalism have similarities. It would be a stretch though to say that this means that left and right are the same, as the conclusion seems to imply.
Overall though it is a thought provoking text, and the empirical research seems deep and well done.
One important issue of the text is the reluctance to call the CYP fascist, instead choosing the name "national socialist", which actually doesn't seem like an improvement. The reasoning of the author is that the CYP was not racist like the Nazis. However, not every fascist was like the Nazis, the Spanish dictatorship of Franco being a relevant example. However it doesn't detract much from the author's thesis, since it seems to me the reductionism of identifying fascism and Nazism is common nowadays and it is correct to try to avoid it.
Nevertheless, sometimes I wish the concept of fascism could be used more properly in the ample manner in which it was used in the 30s/40s. This would in fact be greatly helpful even in contemporary discussions on the topic of the current rightist movements.
Another important issue is the comparison that the author makes in the conclusion between the CYP and the current CPC ideology. Although Nagatomi Hirayama makes the correct conclusion of saying that in fact although there is a superficial resemblance the way the ideas are used by both countries are in fact different, it would've been nice to make this case in a more historical manner. The CYP, the CPC and the GMD shared a common milieu of ideas, and that is why some concepts like wealth and power, confucianism or nationalism have similarities. It would be a stretch though to say that this means that left and right are the same, as the conclusion seems to imply.
Overall though it is a thought provoking text, and the empirical research seems deep and well done.
Displaying 1 of 1 review