Self - assurance and Self - denial : Repositioning the Individual in Contemporary Chinese Society

This article argues that traditional Chinese society was characterized by a “part–whole structure” in which the value of an individual was measured by his value for society. In Europe, starting from the middle of the 15th century, a society that is characterized by a “many–one structure” developed. In such a society, an individual freely chooses with which organizations he or she associates. Man became seen as a creative actor in history, and personal freedom was understood to be the necessary requisite to act creatively. Along with the development of capitalism, contemporary Chinese society witnesses a shift from the traditional “part–whole structure” to the “many–one structure”. Integrating the opinion of personal informants and of online and other popular writers, this article investigates the changing position of the individual in contemporary Chinese society.