Wu Rulun Wang Ji (Complete 4 Volumes)

Author: (Qing) Wu Ruyun Shi Peiyi Xu Shoukai (ed.)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: This book series is a key publication of the National "Tenth Five-Year Plan," edited by Shi Peiyi and Xu Shoukai, researchers at the Anhui Academy of Social Sciences. It was reviewed by Jia Wenzhao, Zhao Yingduo, Liu Bingzheng, and Zhu Weiqi, professors at the School of Liberal Arts, Anhui University. Compiled by the Anhui Ancient Books Office, it took ten years to finally be published.
Wu Ruyun (1840–1903), styled Zhipu, was a native of Tongcheng, Anhui, and a renowned scholar and educator of the late Qing Dynasty. He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign and successively served as a counselor to Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, as well as as the magistrate of Shenzhou and Jizhou. He long served as a lecturer at Lianchi College and, in his later years, was appointed as the chief instructor of the Imperial University and founded the prestigious Tongcheng Middle School.
Wu Ruyun had a broad political vision, actively sought "Western learning," advocated the abolition of the imperial examination system, and promoted new education, making significant contributions to modern Chinese education. He was incorruptible as an official, concerned with the people's suffering, and had a strong desire for reform. His writings were renowned for their logical rigor, earning him the title of "master of the age" and "master of classical literature" by his contemporaries, hailed as "unprecedented before and unmatched after." He diligently annotated classic texts, particularly the Book of Changes and the Book of Documents, and sought to synthesize Han and Song learning while drawing from various schools to innovate academically.
Wu Ruyun authored extensively throughout his life, with his works compiled in the posthumously published Complete Works of Wu Ruyun of Tongcheng. The Complete Works of Wu Ruyun, published by Huangshan Book Society in Anhui, is based on the family-printed edition of the Complete Works of Wu Ruyun of Tongcheng, the printed edition of Notes on a Journey to the East by the Tokyo Sanseido Press, and the manuscript Correspondence of Mr. Wu Zhipu held by the Anhui Provincial Library. It has been edited by comparing these sources with several of Wu's individual writings and related materials. The entire series comprises 2 million words in 4 volumes: the first volume includes the Collected Essays and Collected Poems; the second volume contains Commentaries on the Book of Changes, Great Principles of the Book of Changes, Annotations on the Book of Documents, and Private Notes on the Book of Documents; the third volume features Letters and Notes on a Journey to the East; and the fourth volume includes Diaries and appendices.
The publication of the Complete Works of Wu Ruyun is a grand event in the promotion and development of Wu's culture, a cause for celebration.