With the Meiji restoration, many Japanese scholars studied and generated a wealth of literature on western political and social thought. It was through the translation of such Japanese works that the Chinese came to learn more about western ideas of democracy and republicanism.This first edition thread-bound book was written by a Japanese scholar Nishigawa (西川光沢郎). It was translated by Zhou Zigao in the 29th year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign (1903) and was published by Shanghai Guangzhi Shuju 上海广智书局. It is considered one of the more influential literature on social democracy in China during the early 20th century.
