Liao Ping Meng Wentong Volume

Author: Liu Binxī
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-08-01
Features: Liao Ping, a pioneer in the modern academic movements of "reforming ancient traditions" and "doubting and refuting ancient forgeries," was a renowned Confucian scholar whose ideas deeply influenced Kang Youwei. This volume includes his representative works such as Studies on the Modern and Ancient Schools, Records of Four Transformations in Confucian Studies at Siyi Hall, and Records of Six Transformations in Confucian Studies. Meng Wentong, a disciple who inherited Liao's legacy, was a key figure in pioneering systematic research methods for ancient ethnic and cultural studies in modern times. His studies spanned Confucian classics, history, and the Buddhist and Daoist canons, achieving profound understanding in Confucianism. This volume includes his representative works such as Microcosm of Ancient History, Origins of Confucian Studies, and Five Discourses on Confucianism.
Liao Ping (1852–1932), originally named Dengting, later changed his name to Ping, styled Jiping, was a native of Jingyan County, Sichuan Province. He was a modern scholar and Confucianist. In his early years, he studied the Song School of Confucianism before specializing in the Modern and Ancient Schools within it. He claimed to have undergone six transformations in his academic pursuits, with the first two having the most significant impact. His representative works include Studies on the Modern and Ancient Schools, Knowing the Sage, and Refuting Liu. In 1903, he was dismissed for being accused of "departing from Confucian orthodoxy" and "speaking from personal speculation." In 1911, he became the chief editor of Railway Monthly and supported the Sichuan Road Protection Movement. After the establishment of the Great Han Sichuan Military Government, he served as the president of the Secretariat. In 1914, he became the president of Sichuan National Studies School and later concurrently served as a professor at Chengdu Higher Normal School and West China Union University. He authored over 140 works during his lifetime, most of which were compiled into The Siyi Hall Collection of Confucian Studies, later expanded into The Six-Translation Hall Collection.
Meng Wentong (1894–1968), originally named Erdá, was a native of Yanting County, Sichuan Province. He was one of China's modern outstanding historians. From the 1920s, he taught at Chengdu University, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu National Academy, Central University, Henan University, Peking University, and Hebei Women's Normal College. In the 1940s, he became the director of the Sichuan Provincial Library and concurrently served as a professor at West China Union University and Sichuan University. After the founding of the People's Republic, he served as a professor at West China Union University and Sichuan University, while also working as a researcher and academic advisor at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Meng Wentong dedicated his life to the study of ancient Chinese history and academic culture, achieving profound expertise and remarkable accomplishments. His main works include Microcosm of Ancient History, Collected and Edited Notes on Laozi by Li Rong, Collected and Edited Interpretations of Laozi by Cheng Xuanying, Studies on Minor Ethnic Groups in the Zhou and Qin Periods, and Origins of Confucian Studies.