Abstract: In the early twentieth century , Liang Qi-chao’s political philosophy was undergoing a rapid transformation.Among these changes , his shifting view of nationalism (国家主义)was central to an ongoing makeover of his political thought.This essay focuses on Liang’s contrast of J.J.Rousseau’s democracy with J C.Bluntschli’s nationalism in the period prior to his travel to America.Based on an examination of Liang’s views on these two thinkers , the author clarifies Liang’s perspective on nationalism as well as the nature of his political transformation.The author concludes that prior to Liang’s trip to America in February 1903 , the development of his views on nationalism was incremental , as indicated by his gradual turning away from Rousseau’s theory of democracy and his eventual conversion to Bluntschli’s theory of nationalism.