The Genealogy of the Concept of Sovereignty from the Late Qing to the Early Republic of China and the Modern State

First of all, this paper will examine how Western missionaries and China intellectuals translated sovereignty, a key concept in modern state and political thought, focusing on the various dictionaries and magazines they compiled. Next, I will look at the concept of sovereignty that came from Japan during the period of the Wuxu Reform and before and after the XInzheng reform. Lastly, I would like to examine what kind of modern state intellectuals envisioned through the dispute over zhuquan and tongzhiquan over the Republic of China Covenant Law. Therefore, this paper examines how Chinese intellectuals translated and understood sovereignty, a key term and concept in political thought, and furthermore, envisioned a modern state.