This book is a study of comparative social and political theory, examining how Hayek’s classical liberalism has been influencing the development of Chinese liberalism since 1949.

While both Chinese liberalism and the thought of Hayek can each be studied in its own right, this is the first systematic study on how Hayek’s ideas have helped post-war Chinese liberals enrich their social and political theory in the pursuit of freedom and in formulating theoretical responses to the challenges of modernity in China. This book examines and identifies those central theoretical tenets of Hayek that are most inspiring to the post-war Chinese liberals in their efforts in developing a more robust and profound understanding of freedom in the Chinese context. It argues that the new post-war understanding of Chinese liberalism has superseded the social democratic understanding that was widely adopted by pre-war Chinese liberals. These theoretical/Hayekian tenets include: the critique of totalitarianism and scientism, the idea of the free market, the insights inherited from the Scottish Enlightenment to counter the excess of Cartesian Rationalism, the thesis of the concurrent evolution of culture and mind, and the central importance of the rule of law in defending individual freedom.

This book aims to help political theorists and historians of comparative political thought both in the East and in the West better understand the intellectual issues involved and explore further research endeavours in the same area.