Illustrated Collector's Edition -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (The definitive work by philosophy master Feng Youlan)

Author: Feng Youlan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A seminal work by the philosophy master Feng Youlan, translated into English and best-selling for over half a century. First translated into Chinese in the 1980s, its first edition sold 100,000 copies. The preferred reading for understanding Chinese philosophy. This book is the crystallization of Feng Youlan's philosophy and thoughts. With a limited volume, it connects knowledge from ancient to modern and across cultures, filled with wisdom and insights of a philosopher. Especially notable is the author's concern for real-world issues, embodying the spirit of "never forget to save the country while studying, and never forget to study while saving the country." For today's Chinese readers, it remains an exemplary classic of profound discourse.
In 1947, the great contemporary philosopher Feng Youlan was appointed as a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, where he taught the History of Chinese Philosophy. His English lecture notes were later compiled into A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, published by the renowned U.S. publishing house Macmillan in 1948. Upon its release, the book immediately became a premier introductory text for Westerners seeking to understand and learn about Chinese philosophy. Subsequently, translations in French, Italian, Spanish, Yugoslav, and Japanese were published. For over half a century, the book has been a standard textbook for Chinese philosophy in universities worldwide, exerting significant influence in the West. Critics regard it as the crystallization of Feng Youlan's philosophy and thoughts. With its limited volume, the book connects knowledge from ancient to modern and across cultures, filled with wisdom and insights of a philosopher. Especially notable is the author's concern for real-world issues, embodying the spirit of "never forget to save the country while studying, and never forget to study while saving the country." For today's Chinese readers, it remains an exemplary classic of profound discourse.
For a long time, the book was not available in Chinese. It was not until the 1980s that it was translated into Chinese by Feng Youlan's student [the second time] based on the English version and published by Peking University Press in 1985. The first printing of the Chinese edition was 100,000 copies, which sold out quickly and became a bestseller in academia at the time.