Those of us who advocate for a “Hunan State” do not necessarily mean literally replacing the character “province” (省) in “Hunan Province” with the character “state” (国). Rather, we seek genuine, complete self-governance, rather than settling for mere half-autonomy. The essential elements of a state are territory, population, and sovereign power, with sovereign power being the most crucial of these. The people of Hunan lack full sovereignty over their own affairs and are constantly subjected to encroachment by the central government or neighboring provinces, which tend to benefit themselves at Hunan’s expense. It is high time that the people of Hunan, far from being apathetic, awakened to their situation and rose up to achieve independence.

Precisely at this juncture, Mr. Liu Chunren has proposed federalism. However, I contend that China currently possesses no constituent states; how then could it enter into a federation? For the present, our priority should be to build such states, not to talk about federation. Both Germany and the United States first established their component states before uniting with one another; federation was merely the natural outcome once those states had been formed. I remain deeply skeptical about the prospect of establishing a unified national organization for China within the next decade. Accordingly, I not only oppose Wu Ziyu’s National Assembly but also Liang Qichao’s National Constituent Assembly; moreover, I strongly reject the North-South peace negotiations. In my view, the minimum requirement is the separation of North and South, with the further goal of granting each province full autonomy. Among the provinces, Hunan and Guangdong are in the most favorable position. They could draw upon a revolutionary spirit to overthrow the old order and construct a Hunan as the people of Hunan desire—a new, ideal Hunan—and likewise a new, ideal Guangdong desired by the people of Guangdong, thereby setting an exemplary model of self-governance. If, standing in such a privileged position, they were still content with half-autonomy, it would amount to nothing more than a superficial gesture—truly a grievous injustice and a profound waste of opportunity!

I believe the people of Hunan possess several admirable qualities: resilience, dynamism, courage, and a strong sense of community. What they sorely lack, however, is a clear vision or set of ideals. Without ideals, their lives can only drift along, passively adapting to external pressures rather than transcending their circumstances and realizing their own aspirations. On the question of a “Hunan State,” I have a lengthy theoretical exposition that remains unwritten; I intend to set it down shortly and share it with all concerned. For now, I offer this summary in response to Mr. Liu and other skeptics among my friends.