Diary of a Madman

Chinese history is replete with the rise and fall of powerful dynasties, as well as periods of chaos as the nation struggled to reunite. As the 14th-century classic Chinese novel Three Kingdoms observes, “The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide” (Guanzhong, Luo. Three Kingdoms. Translated by Moss Roberts. California University Press, 2020). This cyclical view of history was integral to China’s understanding of its own history. Times of plenty would inevitably give way to times of chaos, violence, and revolution, only to have the nation emerge anew.

The 19th century was just such a period of chaos: collisions with industrialized colonial European powers, internal division, political intrigue, and an ongoing struggle to reform antiquated answers to Chinese problems. Even today, this period is known as the “Century of Humiliation.” In “The Diary of a Madman,” the tension between prosperity and hardship is reflected through several references to the nearby Wolf Cub Village, which is suffering from famine. Though the “madman’s” town is seemingly unaffected by food shortages, the mention of a struggling village in such close proximity creates the impression that communities are always on the precipice of disaster.

By the early 20th century, China was exhausted, depleted, and in political turmoil. The Qing dynasty, in power since 1644, finally collapsed after nearly a century of domination by outside powers and internal turmoil. After the 1912 Xinhai revolution ended the Qing dynasty, there was considerable uncertainty as to the future of governance in China. Whereas earlier dynasties were replaced by similar imperial systems, the Xinhai revolution represented a break from traditional patterns of governance.

Two Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion, the White Lotus Rebellion, the Boxer Uprising, and the Sino-Japanese War, in addition to widespread inflation, overpopulation, and natural disasters, had depleted imperial coffers, leading many Chinese people to seek opportunities abroad. Yuan Shikai, first president of the newly formed Republic of China, attempted to re-establish himself as the emperor of a new dynasty, only to be met by significant resistance. He abdicated and died shortly thereafter in exile. The period ushered in the “New Culture Movement,” which sought to reform traditional Chinese philosophical and government patterns with imported ideas of science and modernism. The movement prompted extensive introspection and debates as to the utility of new ideas, as well as diagnoses of the weaknesses of traditional Chinese ideas.