This book was published in Shanghai in end 1919 after the Versailles treaty was signed. At the Versailles Peace Conference that ended World War 1, the Chinese people were extremely dissatisfied with the terms of the peace treaty as German concessions in Shandong were given to Japan instead of being returned to China as originally agreed. Many Chinese, especially students and intellectuals organised mass demonstrations protesting the conference’s decision. Later known as the May 4th Movement, this intellectual revolution advocated the replacement of traditional Chinese culture with modern Western ideas of science and technology.
