The Crescent Moon Society was a Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 literary society

Literary society

A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...

 founded by the poet Xu Zhimo

Xu Zhimo

Xu Zhimo was an early 20th century Chinese poet. He was given the name of Zhangxu and the courtesy name of Yousen . He later changed his courtesy name to Zhimo ....

 in 1923, which operated until 1931. It was named after The Crescent Moon, a poem by Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...

. In addition to Xu Zhimo, its other members included leading author and educator Hu Shi, poet Wen Yiduo

Wen Yiduo

Wen Yiduo , born Wén Jiāhuá , courtesy names Yǒusān , Youshan , was a Chinese poet and scholar.-Biography:Wen was born in Xishui County, Hubei. After receiving a traditional education he went on to continue studying at the Tsinghua University. In 1922, he traveled to the United States to study fine...

, writers Liang Shih-chiu

Liang Shih-Chiu

Liang Shih-chiu , a renowned educator, writer, translator, literary theorist and lexicographer.-Biography:Liang was born in Beijing in 1903. His father, Liang Xianxi , was a Xiucai in the Qing Dynasty. He was educated at Tsinghua College in Beijing from 1915 to 1923...

 and Shen Congwen

Shen Congwen

Shen Congwen was the pen name of a Miao Chinese writer from the May Fourth Movement. He was known for combining the vernacular style of writing with classical Chinese writing techniques, and his writing also reflects a strong influence from western literature. He was born as Shen Yuehuan on 1902...

, Rao Mengkan, and sociologist Pan Guangdan

Pan Guangdan

Pan Guangdan was one of the most distinguished sociologists and eugenicists of China. He was also a renowned expert on education. His wide research scope included eugenics, education policy, matrimony policy, familial problems, prostitute policy, intellectuals distributions and etc...

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The Crescent Moon Society—along with other aspects of China's literary establishment at that time—was part of the larger New Culture Movement

New Culture Movement

The New Culture Movement of the mid 1910s and 1920s sprang from the disillusionment with traditional Chinese culture following the failure of the Chinese Republic, founded in 1912 to address China’s problems. Scholars like Chen Duxiu, Cai Yuanpei, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, and Hu Shi, had...

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It engaged in running debates with the "art for politics' sake" (and Chinese Communist Party-driven) League of the Left-Wing Writers

League of the Left-Wing Writers

The League of the Left-Wing Writers was an organization of writers formed in China in 1930, at the instigation of the Chinese Communist Party and the influence of the celebrated author Lu Xun. Other members included leaders of the Sun Society and the Creation Society, and the later-infamous...

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The organisation dissolved shortly after the death of Xu Zhimo

Xu Zhimo

Xu Zhimo was an early 20th century Chinese poet. He was given the name of Zhangxu and the courtesy name of Yousen . He later changed his courtesy name to Zhimo ....

in November 1931.