Kang Youwei (1858–1927) has had a profound influence on modern-day China. He imagined a future society in which war had ended and nation-states had disappeared, to be replaced by a single socialist and democratic world state. His work popularised the idea of historical progress in China, inspired the founder of the People’s Republic, Mao Zedong, and continues to influence China’s political elite today.
It is for this reason that republican-era politician, writer and Kang’s most influential student, Liang Qichao, called him China’s equivalent to Martin Luther. Luther was a German theologian whose writings popularised Protestantism in the 16th century, sparking a revolutionary movement that transformed many Europeans’ understanding of themselves and their world.
Yet, surprisingly, Kang’s work is barely known outside of east Asia. His radical philosophy deserves to be much better know by anyone seeking to understand China, its history and the possible future of our humanity.
