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Through a detailed investigation of textual sources, this paper examines the compositional structure and formation process of “On the Extremes of Cultural Development” (Wenhua pianzhi lun), providing concrete historical references at the textual level for its interpretation.
The survey reveals the following major sources: Kuwaki Gen’yoku’s “A Glimpse of Nietzsche’s Ethics” (August 15, 1902) served as the source for “the German Ni Qie” (Nietzsche); Kemuriyama Sentarō’s “On Anarchism (Continued)” (February 20, 1902) and “Anarchism” (April 28, 1902) were the sources for “De Dashiqina’er” (Max Stirner); Saitō Shinsaku’s “Art and Life” (June 24, 1907) provided part of the material for “Ibsen”; and the second, third, and sixth chapters of Kaneko Chikuzui’s “Trends in Modern Thought” (October 1, 1906) supplied the main framework for the themes of “non-materiality” and “valuing the individual,” as well as the primary sources for the discussions of “Shen Si Zong” and “Shen Si Xin Zong.”
“On the Extremes of Cultural Development” is a youthful exercise in reading and dissemination by the twenty-eight-year-old Zhou Shuren, who was living in a “border-crossing” space and sought “to enlighten others through his own enlightenment.” It is a product in which the “individualism” of the Meiji intellectual context was recast into his own distinctive literary style. The formation of this essay not only marks the birth in China of an “individualist” text synchronized with contemporary world thought, but also signifies a significant step forward in Zhou Shuren’s own personality formation.
Keywords: Zhou Shuren, Kuwaki Gen’yoku, Kemuriyama Sentarō, Saitō Shinsaku, Kaneko Chikuzui
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