Knowledge Production and Practicing as He Preaches: Pioneer Voice of Theoretical Consciousness

“All studies begin with rectifying names.” Zheng Hangsheng’s concept of theoretical consciousness is deeply rooted in historical tradition and philosophical thought. As the founder of the School of Social Operation, Zheng and his academic team led by example and practiced as he preaches. Grounded in the realities of China’s social transformation and governance practices, they proposed and developed a series of macro-sociological theories, including the Theory of Social Operation, the Theory of Social Transformation, the Theory of Disciplinary Indigenization, the Theory of Social Mutual Construction, and the Theory of Practice Structure. These efforts led to the formation of a relatively systematic sociological theory system with distinct Chinese characteristics. This marked the emergence of a sociological theory with a Chinese style, Chinese characteristics, and Chinese spirit. It became the earliest systematic sociological theory proposed consciously by Chinese sociologists since the reconstruction of sociology in China, and it represented an active exploration in the development of an independent Chinese sociological knowledge system.