This controversy is important because, from the perspective of later generations, it is not just an academic debate, but a question of what ideology or belief should be established in that era.

It can also be said which path should be chosen to transform society.

This controversy attracted the participation of most scholars, and various theories emerged one after another.

It has both the theoretical foundation in traditional Chinese culture and the scientific concepts from the West, forming a trend of thought.

The Scientologists believe that it is absolutely necessary to carry forward the spirit of scientific rationality and establish a new era of values and outlook on life on this basis in China, which is extremely lacking in modern scientific rationality.

The metaphysical school did not raise objections to the understanding that China must be transformed, must be progressed, needed modern science and technology, and needed to enrich the country and strengthen the army.

They tend to need a more important set of values in line with China's national conditions to guide and regulate this modern social transformation.

Chen Duxiu used a materialist point of view to criticize both Scientology and Metaphysics as idealism.

The parties could barely communicate, and the polemics turned into melee.

Interestingly, not long after, the Oriental Oriental Library in Shanghai edited and published the book "Science and Outlook on Life", which included 29 polemical articles, with prefaces by Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi.

Chen Duxiu's preface refuted the views of various schools in the debate one by one.

After reading it, Hu Shi also wrote a preface and began to refute Chen Duxiu's arguments, Chen Duxiu was not satisfied and began to criticize Hu Shi again.

This shows the intensity of the polemics at that time.

At the beginning, Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi and Lu Xun edited "New Youth", which started the wave of new culture, and now, they are going further and further on their respective paths.

In this turbulent era, many people have become strangers from close comrades-in-arms.

That is, the Tao is not the same, and each according to its own will.

Lin Zixuan, who was in Shanghai, couldn't hide this question either, and was asked by a student when he was in class at Shanghai University.

To be honest, he was not interested in this kind of argument, so he told the students directly, I haven't figured this out yet, and I'll tell you when I figure it out one day.

This is not an escape, but the truth is that the debate between science and metaphysics has not ended in later generations.

In March, he accompanied Feng Chengcheng to a charity event initiated by the Shanghai Child Labor Committee, which focused on child labor in factories.

Miss Song Jiasan works in this department.

The use of child labor in factories in Shanghai is a common phenomenon, with preliminary estimates suggesting that there are more than 20,000 child laborers.

In 1919, the International Labour Conference defined child labour for those under the age of 14.

In 1923, the Beiyang government promulgated the "Provisional Factory Rules of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce", which stipulated that factories were not allowed to employ men under the age of 10 and women under the age of 12.

But the reality is that some children as young as seven or eight years old still work in factories, and they are labor-intensive, and they are paid very little, working twelve hours a day for only two dimes.

Child labour is distributed in various industries, with the textile industry being the most severe, with more than half of the child labourers working in yarn mills.

This is followed by printing and match factories, as well as child labour in the machinery and food industries.

Lin Zixuan has some understanding of this situation, and there are child laborers in the Lin family's yarn factory.

It's caused by the whole society, it's not one or two people who can change it, you don't use child labor, these child laborers have to find a way to survive, just change the factory.

In the factories of the Chinese are better, at least they are all Chinese, and they will not be excessively pressed.

In Japanese mills, it's much harsher.

At this time, Japan had overcapacity in the country, and dumped a large number of various commodities in China, mainly textiles.

They set up yarn mills all over China and hit China's textile industry with advanced machines and technologies.

During the First World War, the foreign powers did not care about the development in China, which gave China's national industry and commerce a good opportunity to develop.

Now that the war is over, China's national industry and commerce will face great challenges.

The main purpose of this charity activity is to donate money to child laborers, improve the living conditions of child laborers, and call on all sectors of society to pay attention to the welfare of children, even the government cannot completely eliminate child labor.

After the event, back at home, Lin Zixuan thought about it and discussed it with Lin Boqing.

A few days later, the mill under the Lin family announced that it would not employ young workers under the age of 12 as of April 1, and implemented the rule within Shanghai's textile industry.

The Lin family is a leading enterprise in Shanghai's textile industry, with a certain influence and exemplary role, and many enterprises have responded.

However, Japanese mills are opposed to this regulation and continue to go their own way.

Lin Zixuan launched a public opinion offensive, publishing an article in a newspaper attacking Japanese yarn factories as sweatshops, and revealing the cruel oppression and exploitation of Chinese workers within Japanese yarn factories.

There were no pinhole cameras in this era, otherwise he would have sent someone to sneak into the mill to take a candid shot.

He had this plan, but he couldn't realize it, because Japanese yarn mills were strictly managed, and workers would be searched when they entered and left to prevent workers from stealing the mill's belongings.

However, Lin Zixuan knows how to attract the attention of readers, and the news is not exaggerated, so is it still called news?

As long as the working conditions of the workers in the Japanese yarn mills are described as miserable, living a life that is inferior to cattle and horses, not only working tirelessly, but also enduring insults and whippings, it is simply hell on earth.

In fact, this is also based on facts, according to the oral accounts of the mill workers, a little artistic processing.

Sure enough, this incident has attracted widespread attention from the society, demanding that Japanese yarn mills stop using child labor, improve the working environment of workers, and prohibit verbal abuse and beating of Chinese workers.

Chinese textile companies have also come out against Japanese mills and have unanimously adopted a ban on child labor under the age of 12.

The Japanese are very tough on this issue.

They refused to interfere with foreign interference on the grounds that Japanese factories were to be managed in accordance with the Japanese management style.

Lin Zixuan put forward the slogan of "boycotting Japanese goods and rescuing Chinese workers", which was responded to by the society.

This is the second time he has met the Japanese.

The cause of this incident may be because of child labor, but it is actually a contest between the Chinese textile industry and the Japanese textile industry.

Through this exposure, the internal problems of Shanghai's textile industry have also been revealed.

The main ones are long working hours, high labor intensity, and low wages.

For example, the silk silkworm workers in Shanghai issued an appeal, and the silk workers in Shanghai worked 14 hours a day, and their wages were 4 jiao, and they had to be deducted 2 jiao, just enough to eat.

These questions have shocked scholars who spend their days talking about social transformation.

In contrast, the debate between science and metaphysics in Peking was just a game for scholars, and it could not really change the current state of society.

Lin Zixuan has no way to change this status quo immediately, he is not God, he can only do what he can with the help of government and non-governmental relief agencies.