Gu Jiegang volume

Author: Liu Mengxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-08-01
Features: The Chinese Modern Academic Classics series collects the works of Chinese modern scholars since the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic period. The works are organized by volume based on the length of the authors' writings, with some divided into multiple volumes and others combined. The combined volumes take into account the discipline and mentorship relationships of the selected scholars. This series comprises forty-four scholars, totaling thirty-five volumes. The selected works are based on their exemplary and representative nature, primarily focusing on their intrinsic academic value. Although some of these works have been published in various forms before, their inclusion in this classic series under the specific concept of modern Chinese academia is unprecedented. The selected works mainly consist of monographs, with a limited number of essays included to emphasize both renowned works and notable articles. Articles where scholars describe their academic journey or discuss their scholarly perspectives and methods are also included appropriately. The works of modern Chinese scholars span a wide range of writing and publishing periods, with varying versions. In this selection, efforts have been made to choose the best available texts, organize them, and uniformly add modern punctuation marks. For previously published versions that are of high quality, permission has been obtained from the original compilers and publishers to include them directly. Through this and, it is hoped that these works of classic academic masters will become more accessible to readers.
Each volume begins with a brief biography of the scholar and ends with an academic chronology and a list of the author's works, both written by the compilers. The content is detailed to varying degrees but is meticulously accurate to facilitate reader reference. For the included monographs and essays, explanatory notes are provided in a thematic manner. These notes introduce the background of their creation, the time of publication or dissemination, the evolution of their versions, and their translations into other languages.
Gu Jiegang, the founder of the influential "School of Doubting Ancient History," dedicated his life to the and research of ancient texts. This book compiles important academic works by Gu Jiegang, including A Brief History of Han Dynasty Academia, A Study on the Authorship of the Yao Dian, The Status of the Book of Songs During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, The Evolution of Zhou and Yue, and the preface to the first volume of The Critique of Ancient History. These works provide a comprehensive display of the thoughts and style of this historian known for his skepticism toward ancient history.
A Brief History of Han Dynasty Academia. In 1933, due to the illness of Deng Zhicheng, a professor at Peking University's history department, Gu Jiegang took over the course on Qin and Han history. He revised a long essay written for Tsinghua Journal in 1930, titled Political and Historical Concepts Under the Five Elements Theory, into a popular lecture on Han Dynasty history, titled A Brief History of Han Dynasty Academia. This lecture was published by Shanghai Asia Publishing House in August 1935, and the version included here is from that edition.
Gu Jiegang (1890–1980) was a renowned historian from Wu County, Jiangsu Province. His original name was Songkun, and he wrote under the pen name Mingjian. He graduated from the Philosophy Department of Peking University and spent much of his life engaged in historical research and education. He compiled and wrote works such as The Critique of Ancient History, A Brief History of Han Dynasty Academia, and Collected Notes on History. Through his academic research, he accumulated extensive experience in scholarship, leaving behind over 5 million words of reading notes. He emphasized five key principles for reading: 1) cultivating a special interest in a particular field; 2) distinguishing the urgency and importance of books; 3) using one's own judgment; 4) avoiding preconceived notions; and 5) seeking broad knowledge. He once said, "I dislike forced associations and even more so, I dislike being like a barking dog with no vision." He also remarked, "Our reading should help us find a path to knowledge and wisdom through the records in books, not to let the books govern our thoughts." Gu Jiegang's insights remain valuable to readers today.