Contemporary politicians and commentators understood this movement as an effective way to cultivate qualified citizens and to maintain social order in the power void caused by the retreat of the traditional rule of morality and the deficiency of the rule of law...
In the broader context of modern Chinese history, the New Life Movement stands out as a response to the intellectual and social mobilization that dominated Chinese politics in the twenties. Student and labor movements in the cities, and peasant movements in the countryside, represented the emergence of new social forces onto the political scene.
