The symbiosis of state and citizens: Yan Fu’s transformation of Chinese citizenship idea

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article traces the Chinese conception of citizenship in imperial China and its modern transformation by looking into the socio-political thought of modern Chinese intellectual Yan Fu (1854–1921). It begins with an analysis of the Confucian-Legalist ruler-ruled relationship in imperial Chinese history, arguing that it is characterized by a hierarchical order among four different social groups to which Chinese are divided and collectively belong. After depicting the historical context of late Qing China in which Yan plays a vital role, the article further discusses Yan Fu’s transformation of Chinese citizenship idea based on cultural integration between Western and Chinese political thought. It introduces the idea of ‘symbiosis of the state and citizens’ to illustrate Yan’s vision of the Chinese citizenship model. The symbiotic relationship is characterized by 1), the endorsement of the liberty of individual min as citizens and the democracy of the state; 2), the interdependence and reciprocity between citizens and the Chinese state.