Originally called Independence Weekly, Zhang set out to establish his new journal as politically moderate and without his former connection to the Guomindang.
Shortly after, he recruited as editor his contemporary, Chen Duxiu, who was of similar political ideology.
Nevertheless, a given issue also allowed space for other inclusions like current events, essays in translation, and the occasional work of literature.
Operation of the magazine continued, with several months of interruption, from May 1914 until October 1915, producing a total of ten issues.
Though the two publications eventually shared many of the same writers and much of the same spirit, Chen Duxiu felt that discourse concerning contemporary politics was less important than galvanizing Chinese youth culture.