Yan Fu

Author: Liu Mengxi, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-10-01
Features: Yan Fu, who brought great excitement and enthusiasm to the intellectual community by translating "Evolution and Ethics" by T.H. Huxley, was a systematic introducer of Western academic thought. He became a prominent figure in the enlightenment movement by directly introducing and disseminating Western academic ideas. His translations marked an important milestone in the beginning of modern Chinese academia. This volume includes "Evolution and Ethics" by Huxley, as well as translations of "Social Statics" by Herbert Spencer and "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill, along with thirteen essays. Yan Fu (1854–1921), originally named Zongguang, styled Youting, later changed his name to Fu and styled Jidao, was a native of Houguan, Fujian (now Minhou), a modern Chinese enlightenment thinker, translator, and pioneer in the dissemination of sociology. In 1866, he entered the Fuzhou Naval Academy for studies. In 1877, he was sent to England to study naval science. During his studies abroad, Yan Fu developed an interest in British social and political issues and delved into a wide range of bourgeois political theories, particularly admiring Darwin's theory of evolution. Upon returning to China, Yan Fu served as the chief instructor and later the principal of the Beiyang Naval Academy, actively advocating for the enlightenment education of Western learning and completing the famous translation of "Evolution and Ethics." His translations differed both from Huxley's original work and from Spencer's general theory of evolution. In "Evolution and Ethics," Yan Fu elaborated on his views on saving the nation through the biological evolution theory of "survival of the fittest" and "natural selection," advocating for strengthening the people's physical strength, opening their minds, cultivating their morality, and promoting self-reliance and independence, calling for national salvation. His translations were concise and pioneered the translation standards of "faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance." In 1897, he founded the "Guowen Newspaper" in Tianjin. The phrase "Engaging with Heaven in Victory" became widely known among intellectuals at the time. His other famous translations include Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," Spencer's "Social Statics," and Montesquieu's "The Spirit of the Laws." He was the first to systematically introduce Western classical economic, political, and philosophical theories, as well as natural science and philosophical theories into China, enlightening and educating a generation of people. In 1906, he became the principal of Fudan University. In 1908, he served as the chief compiler of the Terminology Commission and a member of the Advisory Yuan. In 1912, he briefly served as the president of Peking University. At this time, Yan Fu's perspective on the comparison between Chinese and Western cultures matured, and he began to enter a phase of self-reflection, tending toward a return to traditional Chinese culture. He worried that China would lose its national "species characteristics," stating, "Like fish water and be in the air, like a crippled person leaning on crutches, or like those short of spirit relying on opium for inspiration—this is called losing one's nature." He believed that "losing one's nature would not lead to long-term survival." Driven by this deeper concern for the future and destiny of the Chinese nation, Yan Fu once attempted to merge the humanities and Confucian classics at Peking University, dedicating it entirely to the study of traditional classics, "to preserve the moral codes, ethics, and literary traditions of our nation, which have been passed down for four or five thousand years by our sages."