Educational "Variations": Student Movement and Educational Independence in the Early Republic of China

Abstract This paper discusses the interaction between education and student movement in the early Republic of China, and proposes that education as a "variation" is closely related to the literary public sphere. Teachers and students in colleges and universities constitute the dual subjects of literature and education, and promote social change through fan magazines, club activities and student movements. The student movement has developed from moderate propaganda to radical protests, such as the May Fourth Movement and the "March 18" tragedy, reflecting the sacrifice and struggle of young people in the battlefield of practice and writing. At the same time, intellectuals advocated "educational independence" and tried to get rid of political interference, but they struggled to explore in the financial and institutional difficulties. Through the construction of public opinion in the literary public sphere, education not only shapes the interaction between writers and society, but also completes its own modern transformation.