Chen Daqi and the foundation of the "new" psychology in republican China

Abstract

The history of the founding and early development of the “new” western experimental psychology in China has long been a myth due to an absence of detailed and systematic research. Equally ironic is the fact that the biography, publications and contributions of Chen Daqi, a man who is widely regarded as the “founder of experimental psychology in China”, have never been seriously studied in the past. This thesis is an attempt to fill in these historical gaps. Its first half, being primarily an archival study, traces the history of the founding and early development of the “new” psychology in China, in particular within the campus of Beijing University, during the early Republican era (ca. 1917-1923). It also examines the psychological publications of Chen Daqi. The second half of the thesis contextualizes these developments within a broader discussion of various issues related to the transfer of psychological knowledge from the west. The traditional understanding of psychology in Republican China, that it was merely a passive “copy” of the west’s is refuted. Kurt Danziger’s theory concerning the two prerequisites for the successful establishment of a new science is utilized to show how Chen Daqi’s attempts to develop psychology proceeded smoothly after the new discipline was first introduced into China in the late 1910s. This study concludes with a re-evaluation of Chen’s project.