The Formation of Modern Chinese Notion of 'Society'

There had been three stages of concept re-engineering and three times of changes after the concept of 'society' entered China: At the first stage, foreigners in China used translational Chinese concept 'hui' ('association'), emphasizing the characteristics of assembly and collection. Yan Yongjing, as a representative of Chinese people, used 'folk scene' and 'people of State' to translate 'society', putting more emphasis on 'people', 'folk', 'scene' and 'for people'. From 'association', 'group' to 'society', the shift profoundly embodied that the Chinese intellectuals finally have returned to their own traditions: actively involving in the responsibility of real social transformations and concerning about the ideal feelings of the Human ultimate future,namely the consciousness of 'Tianxia'. Adapted from the source document.