Riverside Village Notes

Author: Gu Jigang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-22
Features: Gu Jiegang (1892-1980), a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu. A modern historian and a key figure of the "Distinguishing Ancient History" school. Gu Jiegang entered the preparatory department of Peking University in 1913 and graduated from the philosophy department of Peking University in 1920. He later taught at institutions such as Peking University, Xiamen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Yanjing University, Yunnan University, Qi Lu University, Central University, Fudan University, the Social Education College, and Lanzhou University. He also served as the director of the History Group at the Peking Academy of Sciences and the director of the National Studies Institute at Qi Lu University. Additionally, he edited publications such as the Weekly of the Language and History Research Institute of Sun Yat-sen University, the Yanjing Journal, the Yugong Monthly, the Frontier Weekly, the Quarterly of National Studies at Qi Lu University, and the Historical and Literary Magazine.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he became a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, vice chairman of the Chinese Folk Literature Research Association, and a member of the National Committee of the 2nd and 3rd sessions of the National People's Congress, as well as a representative of the 4th and 5th sessions of the National People's Congress.
Influenced by Hu Shi's advocacy of "organizing national studies" during the New Culture Movement, Gu Jiegang began researching Chinese history and ancient literature in the 1920s, focusing on distinguishing and verifying historical texts. He advocated for the use of the concept of historical evolution and a spirit of skeptical inquiry into ancient history, incorporating modern Western sociology and archaeology into the study of ancient Chinese history and texts. Together with Qian Xuantong and others, he initiated and led the major discussion on distinguishing ancient history, compiling the findings into eight volumes of Distinguishing Ancient History, which formed the "Distinguishing Ancient History" school.
In his research, Gu Jiegang proposed the theory of the "layered construction of Chinese ancient history," arguing that the legendary period of ancient history became longer as time progressed. He believed that the earliest legendary figure was Yu during the Zhou Dynasty, followed by Yao and Shun in the Confucian era, Huangdi and Shennong in the Warring States period, the Three Sovereigns in the Qin Dynasty, and Pangu in the Han Dynasty. The formation of the ancient history system was primarily attributed to Confucian scholars from the Warring States to the Western Han periods.
With a skeptical approach, Gu Jiegang examined the relationship between Confucius and the Six Classics, pointing out that Confucius's "rectification of music" had no connection to society. He also criticized Liang Qichao for portraying Confucius as