Kang Youwei volume

Author: Liu Mengxi
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1996-08-01
Features: Kang Youwei, a prominent figure in the late Qing Dynasty's Jinwen school who transformed the traditional Jinwen studies into a politicized "new learning," was the culmination of the Jinwen school and a key advocate of the "new learning" in the late Qing era, embodying a consistent Western perspective. This volume selects his representative works—The Complete System of Practical Principles and Laws, General Principles of Teaching, The Spring and Autumn School of Dong Shi, Confucius and the Examination of the, and My History—in the order of their final drafts or revisions, presenting them as segments of the evolution of his thought and doctrines. The preface, with its brief biography, reflects considerable effort by the editors and provides a reliable account of his life.
Kang Youwei (1858–1927), originally named Zujie, styled Guangsha, and known by the sobriquet Changsu, was a native of Nanhai, Guangdong (now Guangzhou), a modern thinker and litterateur. In his early years, he valued practical learning for governance. Later, under the influence of the Jinwen school of Confucian studies since Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan, as well as Western bourgeois "new learning," he engaged in continuous teaching and writing, becoming a leading figure in China's political and academic circles in the late 19th century. He submitted seven memorials to the throne, advocating for reform and strengthening the nation, among which the "Public Car Memorial" after the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War is particularly renowned. Together with Liang Qichao and others, he founded The World News, established the Strong Society, published The Strong Society Gazette, and created public opinion for the reform movement. In 1898, he led the Wuxu Reform Movement. After its failure, he fled abroad. Subsequently, his thoughts became increasingly conservative, and his demeanor grew stale, rendering him insignificant.
His major works include The Kangzi Anthology, The Examination of the Spurious Classics of the New Learning (co-edited with Chen Qianqiu and Liang Qichao), The Spring and Autumn School of Dong Shi, Confucius and the Examination of the, The Examination of Japan's Political Reforms, The Great Unity Book, A Journey Through Eleven European Countries, The Poems of Master Nanhai, and The Double Oar of the Art Boat.