1922年,胡適等精英讀書人曾提出"好政府主義",不久更出現了一個為時短暫的"好人政府"。這個看似插曲的歷史現象有著深層次的歷史文化因緣。好人政府背后的"賢人政治",大體是一個適應天下時代的傳統理念;好政府主義強調政府應積極作為,又更適應現代的國家時代;而時人面對的北京政府,恰是一個具有現代形式卻又延續傳統小政府理念的政權。這些因素交織在一起,形成多重的緊張。那是一個政治倫理轉換的時代,新舊政治倫理的糾結容易使人感覺無所適從,卻也留下更寬的嘗試空間。把一個天下的政治模式嵌入現代國家,又要讓一個不思作為的現代政府積極起來,這些充滿張力的取向如何關聯互動,是一個需要重新講述的故事。

In 1922,a group of the educated elites,including Hu Shi,proposed the doctrine of"Good Government"and shortly afterwards the"Good Men’s Government"consisting of the educated elites ran the state briefly. This episode showed that the traditional tianxia perspective of imperial China was adopted to fit into the age of modern nation-states with an emphasis on active governing. However,the Beijing Government then was a hybridity of the modern form of state and the traditional ideal of small government. These educated elites attempted to embed the traditional political model of tianxia in the modern state and rejuvenate the lethargic modern government. This article is aimed at illustrating the interactions full of intrinsic tensions in this process.