Kang Youwei

Author: Liu Mengxi, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-10-01
Features: Kang Youwei, a prominent figure in the late Qing Dynasty's Jinwen School who transformed the traditional Jinwen studies into a politicized "New Learning," was the culmination of the Jinwen School and a key advocate of the "New Learning" in the late Qing era, embodying a consistent Western perspective in his theories. This volume selects his representative works—The Complete Works of Practical Principles and Public Law, General Principles of Teaching, The Spring and Autumn School of Dong Shi, Confucius and the Examination of the, and My History—in the order of their final drafts or revisions, presenting them as segments of the evolution of his thought and doctrines. The preface, with its brief biography, reflects considerable effort from the compilers and editors, and the account of his life is reliable.
Kang Youwei (1858–1927), originally named Zujie, styled Guangsha, and styled Changsu, was a native of Nanhai, Guangdong (now Guangzhou), a modern thinker and litterateur. In his early years, he valued studies that served practical governance. Later, under the influence of the Jinwen School of Confucian studies since Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan, as well as Western bourgeois "New Learning," he continuously engaged in teaching and writing, becoming a leading figure in China's political and academic circles in the late 19th century. He submitted seven memorials to the throne, advocating for reforms to strengthen the nation, among which the "Public Car Memorial" after the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War is particularly renowned. Together with Liang Qichao and others, he founded The World News, established the Strong Society, published The Strong Society Gazette, and created public opinion for the reform movement. In 1898, he led the Wuxu Reform Movement alongside Liang Qichao and others. After the failure of the reforms, he fled abroad. Subsequently, his thoughts became increasingly conservative, and his demeanor grew more like a relic of the past, losing relevance.
His major works include The Kangzi Canon, The Examination of the Spurious Classics of the New Learning (co-edited with Chen Qianqiu and Liang Qichao), The Spring and Autumn School of Dong Shi, Confucius and the Examination of the, The Japanese Political Reforms, The Great Unity Book, A Journey Through Eleven European Countries, The Poems of Master Nanhai, and The Double Oar of the Art of Calligraphy.