Chinese Historical Research Methods: External Two Types (External Two Types)

Author: Liang Qichao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The 20th century has passed, and the history of China has undergone a century of transformation and innovation, a century of prosperity and abundance. The achievements of this century have been remarkable, with a succession of renowned scholars, making it worthy of study and summary. The series "Masterpieces of 20th Century Chinese History" published by our press aims to systematically present the historical achievements of the last century, offering the works of the most representative historians to readers. Traditional Chinese historiography has a tradition of emphasizing "verification." During the Qing Dynasty, the study of classical learning flourished, and scholars devoted particular effort to collecting materials, examining and correcting errors, and distinguishing truth from falsehood, accumulating extensive experience and materials. The Methods of Chinese Historical Research dedicates a chapter to discussing the collection and identification of historical sources, which is based on the methods accumulated by traditional historiography and summarized and developed with modern academic perspectives. Therefore, it states: the purpose of collecting and verifying historical materials is to achieve "seeking truth," and "seeking truth" is the spirit and method of the traditional academic principle of "seeking truth from facts." Achieving the accuracy of historical facts is the prerequisite for the development of historiography; otherwise, "their thoughts will be used in vain, and their criticisms will be baseless." This is the significance of emphasizing how to collect and identify historical materials.