Fission and Inheritance: Chinese Culture and Scholarship in the Early 20th Century (Zhonghua Academic Library)

Author: Luo Zhiitan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: During the late Qing and early Republican era, the coexistence of traditional interruption and continuity, as well as fragmentation and continuation, was not only an observation made by historians but also reflected in the aspirations and expressions of scholars. The historical perspective of carrying forward the past and embracing the future was not confined to scholars who were not particularly radical; even those considered very progressive intellectuals shared similar ideas. Many scholars at the time shared the common expectation of reviving China through a "revival of antiquity" akin to Europe, while a significant portion of progressive scholars also harbored the persistent desire to place traditional Chinese culture in a museum. These intricate and subtle phenomena reveal an early 20th-century China that differed from existing perceptions, and the early concerns and reflections have endured, continuing almost throughout the entire 20th century, making them highly worth further reflection.