This paper is a study on the Dongnam School, an intellectual group formed around Nanjing High School, Dongnan University, 4th Zhongshan University, Jiangsu University, and Zhongyang University established in Nanjing, China in the early 1900s. I would like to examine the modern conservative school in China by examining its literary and cultural claims through the formation process of the Dongnan School, representative figures, and publications they founded. The Dongnan School, which formed a close academic network centered on Liu Yi zheng, Liu Bo ming, and Zhang qi yun, went through a confused state in Chinese history, including the May 4 New Cultural Movement, the Civil War, and the Anti-Japanese Movement. They considered their role as intellectuals and have been making their arguments through publications. On the one hand, they put strict standards on the excessive Western-oriented thinking of the May 4 New Culture Movement, and on the other hand, he praised the May 4 New Culture Movement for its positive attitude of accepting new values. The magazines they published show intellectuals who agonized between independent scholars and cooperation with politics during the national crisis, which can be seen as another expression of nationalism.