This article con trib utes to the study of the cul tural pol i tics of Thirdspace in mod ern China, which exerted a far-reaching influ ence on Chi nese intel lec tual his tory, lit er a ture, and cul ture. Although the term the third space was coined by Homi K. Bhabha, the lead ing fig ure in post co lo nial the o ret i cal stud ies, as a new form of dis course to go beyond dual is tic categories such as the col o nizer/col o nized oppo si tion, it has much broader cul tural mean ings in the mod ern Chi nese con text. One of the prominent Chi nese intel lec tu als, Zhang Dongsun, inten tion ally cre ated a crit i cal inter face of Thirdspace through which to ensure a spirit of tol er ance, inde pen dence of individuals, and freedom of criticism. The article investigates Zhang Dongsun's philosophical system, his politi cal thought and com men tary, and his cul tural crit i cism in the Republic of China, discussing the moti va tions that com pelled him to under take the third route, as he attempted to tran scend binary oppo si tions, which ulti mately led to his down fall in the New China. The case of Zhang Dongsun, who exemplifies a group of lib eral Chi nese intellec tu als, not only indi cates the pre dic a ment of the dis course of Thirdspace in mod ern China but also adds new insights to our under stand ing of the diver gent spir i tual jour neys that Chi nese intel lec tu als have taken in response to the national cri sis.
