Abstract: The paper presents two distinct theoretical imaginations of relationships between man and society from the perspective of space, rooted in the western and Chinese sociological thoughts. The connection between space and personality in Simmel’s writings constitutes one of the most important foundations in Western sociological thoughts. The concept of “marginal man”， crafted by Chicago School sociologists and built on Simmel’s theoretical insights， becomes the prototype of the modern personality in western context. Equally importantly， the “marginal man” also becomes the image of an ideal modern man projected by early Chinese sociologists trained and influenced by western sociological thoughts. One prominent sociologist in Republican period， Chingchao Wu understands migration in China as a journey of marginal man， and envisions a personality freed from rural village life and enriched by diversified cultures in urban society. Wu further prescribes nationalism as a cure to the inner turmoil of the marginal man caused by conflicts between cultures， a typical challenge in American urban life. The writings of another prominent sociologist， Quentin Pan， presents a different understanding of special relationship between man and society. He identifies the unit of migration as the “bloodline” instead of an individual. By migrating， “the migrant ancestor” avoids adverse selection caused by extreme familism and rigid class structure， consequently cultivates a wholesome bloodline， which produces descendants with a keen sense of empathy and social justice， as carriers of the Confucian ideal personality who changed the local mores for the better. The migrant ancestor’s withdrawal from society presents a striking contrast to the marginal man’s invasion into space. The paper concludes that “the migrant ancestor” constitutes another prototype of personality parallel to “the marginal man” in understanding social processes including but not limited to urbanization， and deeply rooted in Chinese sociological thoughts.

Key words: marginal man, migrant ancestor, migration, bloodline, Chingchao Wu, Quentin Pan