章太炎對聯省自治運動的貢獻

In recent years, there have been many studies of the provincial self-rule movement of the 1920s. And yet, not much attention has been paid to Zhang Taiyan 章太炎 (1869-1936), a political philosopher who gave theoretical and practical guidance to the movement, especially to the implementation of the Hunan provincial constitution. Due to the negative image of the federalist movement, even less attention has been paid to the arguments for provincial self-rule, and the impact of the movement on the political thought of modern China. This article provides a new understanding of the provincial self-rule movement from three perspectives. First, it will examine Zhang’s thinking on provincial self-rule since his youth, highlighting his different views on provincial autonomy in response to the changing needs of the times. Second, it will focus on the creative tension between Zhang’s support for provincial self-rule and his commitment to the legitimacy and authority of the Chinese republic. Third, it will analyze Zhang’s writings and speeches in Hunan, underscoring Zhang’s differences with Sun Yat-sen regarding provincial selfrule. Together, these three snapshots give us a deeper understanding of Zhang, whose support of provincial self-rule was to build a unified but not centralized China.