Li Dazhao and the Chinese embracement of Communism

In the early 20th century, communism as a foreign ideology was introduced and accepted by a group of Chinese intellectuals among whom Li Dazhao has been acclaimed as China’s first communist. This chapter investigates Li’s unique life, examines the factors leading to his embracement of communism, and explores his approach of accepting this foreign ideology. A careful study reveals that he had integrated his ideas of national salvation and national revival into communism. Henceforth Li’s version of communism was a Sinified ideology with nationalism as an underpinning. In addition, Li also had absorbed a variety of diverse ideas from other sources and intermingled them into his newly acquired ideology.