Chinese history

Author: Lu Simian / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The Definition and Value of History
What is history, and what use does it serve? The ancients often said that history is a "mirror for the ages," believing that "to know the future, one must look to the past." The actions and successes of those before us can be followed as models, while their failures can serve as warnings. This seems reasonable at first glance, but upon closer examination, it is not so. The world is evolving, and later events cannot be the same as those of the past. Continuing to treat a new illness with an old prescription not only fails to help but may even worsen the condition. Our initial interactions with Westerners were failures precisely because of this.
Others argue that history is about "writing down events as they happened," allowing people to "revere and fear" them. Because of their actions, those who do well can "leave a name for a thousand generations," while those who do poorly may "stink for a thousand years." However, foolish and ignorant people may not care about their reputation, and strong-willed people may not even care about it at all. Moreover, the truth of events is often difficult to know. Even in slightly important matters, what is widely known is merely the surface; the behind-the-scenes details are never fully revealed. Furthermore, the larger the event, the harder it is to observe. No single person can have a complete understanding of the whole picture. If historians claim to know the truth of events and write them down accordingly, they must either be foolish or deliberately misleading.
Another view holds that history is about praising and blaming, conveying lessons to maintain social justice. This is flawed in the same way as the previous arguments. When studying any field, one must understand the distinction between "learning" and "technique." Learning seeks to understand the truth of events, while technique deals with how to handle them. In old terms, this is "understanding the principles" and "applying them." History seeks to understand the truth of society. What is the truth of society? In fact, every event has its own underlying reasons. Why am I the person I am today? This is not a matter of chance. In what family was I born? What education did I receive? Who were my friends? What did I do? All of these are related to me. The sum of these factors shapes the person I am today. The same applies to nations and societies. Different places have different customs; different people have different temperaments. The nature of the Chinese differs from that of the Europeans, and the nature of the Europeans differs from that of the Japanese—all of this is no coincidence.
Therefore, to understand any event, one must trace its origins; the present cannot explain itself. And what is the past? It is history. Thus, the ancients said, "History is the recording of events." This is naturally true. However, upon closer reflection, there is a problem. There are so many events! A single day's newspaper already contains more than one can read. Yet what it records is only a millionth of all the events in society. The history of today is merely a millionth of the content of a newspaper. So, what can history record? It must be understood that while there are countless events in society, not all need to be recorded. My identity is naturally shaped by past events, and those that shaped me are the ones that define me. Yet I do not remember all of them. Still, I do not forget that I am who I am. Therefore, there is no need to record all past events of society—only those that "made society what it is today" are sufficient.
So, can the events recorded in former histories fully meet this standard? Probably not. Because often, there are events whose underlying reasons are impossible to know. If this is the case with a single event, how much more so with the entirety of society? So, what was the flaw in former histories? I can summarize it in one word: their problem lay in not understanding the importance of society. Only because they did not understand the importance of society did they focus solely on special individuals and special events—such as describing heroes, recording politics, and battles. Yet they failed to realize that special events always occur within ordinary society. The kind of society that exists determines the kind of events that happen, and once these events occur, they influence society, causing changes. The relationship between special individuals and society is the same. Therefore, the causes of any person or event must be sought in society, and their effects on society must be examined. Otherwise, everything becomes a castle in the air.
The ancients did not pay attention to society, and this is understandable. Because changes in society are invisible. Just as the shadow of the sun moves without pause, yet people never notice it, the changes in society are also imperceptible. As a result, ordinary people develop a misunderstanding. They think that great figures throughout history, though their actions differ, are based on the same society. It is like a play—though the plot changes and actors come and go, the stage remains the same. Thus, they believe that if great figures from the past were to appear today, they could easily handle the difficult situation. They even think that using the methods of the past would solve the problem. This leads to treating new illnesses with old prescriptions. Yet they fail to realize that the stage is static, while society is dynamic.
Therefore, the methods of studying history today differ from those of the past. Today's study of history emphasizes ordinary people and ordinary events, because society changes precisely through these. The ordinary actions of ordinary people are the customs of society, while the extraordinary actions of extraordinary people are like earthquakes. Without understanding the customs, one cannot understand the earthquakes. Once the customs are understood, earthquakes are merely inevitable consequences. All events that can explain social change are taken; all events are used to explain social change. Social change is evolution. Thus, "History is the process of explaining the evolution of society."
With the definition of history clarified, its value also lies here.
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