A Study on Yun Daiying’s Contributions to the Sinicization of Marxism During His Time in Luzhou

Abstract

Yun Daiying was a key pioneer in the early dissemination of Marxism in modern China and in advancing its Sinicization. From 1921 to 1923, during his tenure at Southern Sichuan Normal School in Luzhou, Yun engaged deeply in grassroots revolutionary practice. He implemented educational reforms, organized rural outreach, conducted social investigations, established night schools for the common people, and produced some of the earliest research-based writings on rural issues. He also founded the first Socialist Youth League organization in Sichuan, cultivating a large number of revolutionary cadres. Grounded in the socio-historical conditions of semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, Yun developed a series of pioneering theoretical insights. He was among the first to articulate the influential proposition that “reactionaries are paper tigers,” systematically elaborated on the concept of the civil governance movement, and carried out localized explorations centered on rural society and peasant issues. The interplay between his theoretical contributions and practical initiatives effectively facilitated the dissemination and localization of Marxism in southern Sichuan. His work not only enriched the early pathways for the Sinicization and popularization of Marxism but also provided valuable reference points for the development of the New Democratic Revolution.