General Introduction to Academic Thought in the Qing Dynasty, Confucian Philosophy

Author: Liang Qichao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-05-01
Features: China is a vast country with thousands of years of history. Is our nation truly cultured? If so, where does our culture manifest itself? In my opinion, it lies in Confucianism. We can say that studying Confucian philosophy is studying Chinese culture. If Confucianism were removed, there would likely be little left of Chinese culture. The existence of the Chinese nation depends on the existence of Chinese culture, and Chinese culture cannot do without Confucianism. The academic achievements of the Qing Dynasty hold great value in the history of Chinese scholarship. Indeed, our cultural history is highly valuable for research, as one can grasp the essence of an era. Therefore, while we should strive to absorb new foreign cultures, we must never despise or abandon our heritage. – Liang Qichao
Tianjin Ancient Books Publishing House, while vigorously editing and publishing the Complete Works of Liang Qichao, has also promptly launched the Yinbingshi Text Series. This series selects Liang Qichao’s academic works of great scholarly value and innovative thinking, which have shone through nearly a century of historical scrutiny, for re-punctuation, proofreading, and re-printing. This allows excellent cultural treasures to once again showcase their brilliance, contributing to academic research and enhancing the literacy and cultural taste of the nation. It is truly commendable and celebratory to see such efforts.
Liang Qichao’s life was marked by a wealth of writings, covering a broad range of fields, including history, literature, political science, philosophy, law, economics, sociology, education, and journalism. He was a quintessential encyclopedic scholar. The existing Yinbingshi Collected Works comprise nearly ten million words. If letters and other lost essays are included, the total should reach fourteen million words. A review of Liang Qichao’s works, excluding poetry and fiction, reveals two main categories: first, political commentaries written in newspaper-style prose, addressing current issues; second, academic monographs written in scholarly language, researching the history and culture of China and the world. In 1932, when Liang Qichao’s friend Lin Zhijun edited the Yinbingshi Collected Works, he categorized the first type of articles into a collection and the second into a monograph series. This classification was quite insightful. However, whether in collections or monographs, one can discern two striking features in Liang’s writings: emotional depth and a strong sense of reality.