Chinese academic history

Author: Zhang Guogang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book comprehensively and systematically elaborates on the basic development and major achievements of Chinese academic thought from the pre-Qin period to the late Qing Dynasty. It provides appropriate discussions on the evolution of traditional academic schools and their trends over three thousand years, including the pre-Qin philosophers, Han Dynasty Confucianism, Wei-Jin Neo-Daoism, Sui-Tang Buddhism, Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, and late Qing pragmaticism. In the author's view, the history of Chinese academic thought is the history of Chinese scholars exploring the mysteries of nature and society. It encompasses both conceptual forms such as processes, achievements, and ideas, as well as tangible outcomes like conclusions, results, and thoughts. It is analytical, covering specific aspects of traditional academic categories such as classics, history, philosophy, and poetry; yet it is also synthetic, encompassing the academic trends and thought of an era. Therefore, the book not only thoroughly discusses the historical characteristics of major academic trends in each period but also introduces the achievements of other fields in a coherent manner. The text is concise and fluent, with clear emphasis and easy-to-understand language, making it a highly academic introductory reading on specialized academic topics.
This book is a monograph that comprehensively and systematically expounds on the origin, development, and evolution of the Chinese imperial examination system. It compiles the author's twenty years of research on the history of the imperial examinations, making it a definitive work in the study of the imperial examination system in China. It follows the chronological order of history, with the development of the imperial examination system as the vertical axis and people, events, activities, and thought as the horizontal axis. It not only narrates the history of the imperial examination system but also focuses on its actual operation, while also considering the historical evolution of examination thought. It emphasizes the interactive and interdependent relationship between people and the system, as well as their mutual influence, thus combining academic rigor with a certain readability. At the end of the book, there are appendices such as the list of candidates from all dynasties in China and the chronological table of major events in the imperial examination system, which help readers grasp the actual operation of the imperial examinations and provide valuable references. The text is fluent and accessible, making it an introductory academic reading rich in cultural connotation, high academic quality, and easy to understand.