A group photo of some members of the Awakening Society, with Zhou first right in the back row and Deng Yingchao (1904–1992) third right in the first row.

The Revolution of 1911 overthrew China's last feudal dynasty — the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). In 1912, the Republic of China (1912–1949) was founded, with its capital in Beiping, today's Beijing. The Republic of China was Asia's first democratic republic.

At that time, China was plagued by internal and external troubles due to the invasion of Western powers, and the Chinese were in deep waters. A patriotic movement took place on May 4, 1919, in Beijing, with young students as the main force and the participation of the citizens. They plunged into various forms of struggles such as demonstrations, petitions, strikes, and violent resistance against the government. It is historically known as the May Fourth Movement of 1919.

During this period of time, many Chinese youths vowed to study for the rise of China, and some of them, like Zhou Enlai (1898–1976), participated in the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal May Fourth Movement and began to be exposed to Marxism, ultimately establishing their belief in Communism.