受到晚清「西方衝擊」的影響，中國主流知識份子視西方自由主義爲中國「富強」的靈丹妙藥，從心生是羨慕到引進模仿。然而自由主義在東方的歷程與西方並不同調。受限於近代中國的特殊經驗對西方帝國主義的壓迫與瓜分危機等，「轉型時期」(1895-1925)的中國代表性菁英雖然肯定自由主義取及甚至是民主制度，但在群體與個體（群與獨）的選擇止，即是國權與民權的優先性問題上，卻在抉擇上產生衝突（理性與感性）。本文並不全面性討論自由主義在近代中國發展上的意義，但試圖從下列角度反省「轉型期中國」自由正義的若干主要特徵：一、個人意志與集體意志；二、自由與倫理；三、自由主義的激進形式：無政府主義。

Influenced by the "Western impact" in late Qing period, the mainstream Chinese intellectuals regarded Western liberalism as a panacea of China's "wealth and power." These intellectuals were fascinated by this foreign ideology that they helped to introduce to China. However, the journey of liberalism of the East is quite different from that of the West. China was under Western imperialism and dismemberment during the "Transition Period (1895-1925)." Because of her special historical background, China had many intellectuals who had considered liberalism as a novel idea to save the country. They struggled with a dilemma of accepting liberalism in an individual or collective way, which would transform to individual right or popular right. This paper will shed some new lights on major branches of liberalism including: 1. Individual will and collective will, 2. Liberty and ethics, and 3. Liberalism from the Chinese anarchist's viewpoints. The development of liberalism in modem China is however, beyond the scope of this paper.