Abstract: The 1920s marked a crucial period for the awakening of the sense of community for the Chinese nation. During this time,particularly between 1921 and 1923—a pivotal juncture when the First Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation was being forged and the tidal wave of the Nationalist Revolution was imminent—the pursuit of the “great liberation of the Chinese nation” became a shared objective for both parties. Concurrently,Liang Qichao,having re-examined Chinese and Western cultures in the aftermath of the First World War and carefully studied the intrinsic connection between European nation conflicts and the war,shifted his focus to “expounding the Chinese nation” precisely at this historical moment. Liang Qichao not only articulated the “what” that “the Chinese nation is a miracle of the world” for the first time in modern history,but also delved into the “why”,offering a profound synthesis of its distinctive characteristics and inherent strengths. His efforts to bolster national confidence resonated with the spirit of times. Furthermore,as a pioneer in modern Chinese national historiography,Liang Qichao's deepened engagement with Chinese national identity in the aftermath ofthe First World War ultimately epitomized his groundbreaking and self-conscious scholarly endeavor to theorize the Chinese nation as an indivisible whole,and his scholarly research was consciously integrated with the people's tangible struggles for the great liberation of the Chinese nation.

Key words: Liang Qichao, the Chinese nation, identity, the First World War