Philosophy of China (Part 1 and Part 2)

Author: Tian Xiaofei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The Duke of Zhou was a statesman and thinker in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, often regarded as one of the earliest philosophers in ancient China. He was revered by some as a great sage of the slave society. Confucianism later became the main stream of ancient Chinese thought and an important part of traditional Chinese culture, with the Duke of Zhou being called the ancestor of the Confucian tradition. In philosophy, it is said that he wrote the hexagram terms for 384 lines of the 64 hexagrams in the Book of Changes. It is believed that the period of Yao, Shun, Yu, and the three dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou was the time of the emergence of ancient Chinese philosophy. The Duke of Zhou summarized and advanced it, reaching the highest level possible at that time.
A group of young scholars from the Department of History and the Department of Chinese at Peking University compiled a series of "Know a Little" books and invited me to write the preface. I was curious about the name of the series. Upon inquiry, I understood their intention and decided to write. It turned out that each title in the series begins with "Know a Little," such as Know a Little Chinese History, Know a Little Chinese Culture, and Know a Little World Culture. The scope of the series seems grand, yet the focus is modest, reflecting the playful spirit of the young scholars. The cultures of the world are like a vast mountain range. We should not shrink away from their towering heights in panic or think we have mastered them after a brief glance. What we can do is to gaze up respectfully at the foot of the mountain and inquire eagerly at the trailhead. In short, it is about "knowing a little."
First, not knowing is a pity. A mere five-foot body, without the cultural peaks as its backdrop, is merely a lifeless, ignorant, and mediocre existence. People communicate with the outside world at different levels through culture and prove who they are through it. Even those with limited education feel a sense of honor or shame about this. I remember last year when China Central Television held a national live broadcast competition for young artistic talents. One of the competition's segments was a test of historical and literary knowledge, and the results were unexpected. The hundreds of millions of viewers paid far more attention to this part than to the main competition. The audiences from all provinces across the country were not concerned about their representatives losing in artistic skills but were unable to tolerate their failure to answer the historical and literary questions. This shows that even today, many Chinese people still seek their personal and collective dignity through culture, which is quite good.
However, the immediate follow-up question is that we must also guard against people's obsession with historical and literary knowledge. Obsession may seem profound, but in reality, it is a disaster manufactured in the name of culture. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, there have been celebrities in China who made a living by luring others into obsession, which is highly immoral. Therefore, it is necessary to mark some clear paths among the cultural peaks and lay some floating cables in the vast sea of history, so that people can appreciate the beauty of mountains and rivers without falling into obsession. This approach, expressed in colloquial terms, is to "know a little." Knowing a little does not mean lowering standards; rather, it means raising them. Just as the path setter knows the mountain better than a casual visitor, and the cable layman knows the sea better than a casual swimmer, they also possess a deeper understanding, a greater sense of humanity, and a stronger cultural responsibility. In this sense, I believe that the young scholars at Peking University who compiled this "Know a Little" series are engaged in a valuable endeavor.
Citizens in the new century cannot completely abandon the cultural and historical background created by humanity in the past, yet they must not let the past creations hinder today's creations. Therefore, there should be more path setters and cable laymen. Only in this way can the magnificent historical culture truly become the heritage of the new century.