New Culture and True Scholars - The Value Dimension of Scholars in the Intersection of East and West: The Value Dimension of Scholars in the Intersection of East and West

Author: Wang Kailin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book is an excellent read on historical essays. The protagonists are all renowned figures in Chinese culture, education, and Buddhism during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era. They lived in a complex time of collision between Eastern and Western cultures, and the intermingling of old and new cultures. They possessed distinct personalities and an undeniable limitation of their times. There were eccentric figures like Su Hongming, righteous Wang Guowei, compassionate Master Hongyi, and dashing but destructive Xu Zhimo, among others. They were both inheritors and reformers of old culture, as well as introducers and improvers of new culture. What remained unchanged was that they were all vivid and highly individualistic people—this is what the book reveals to its readers. Culture has only new and old, not true or false; scholars have only true or false, not new or old. Figures like Su Hongming, Wang Guowei, Yi Shundong, Chen Yinke, and Liang Shuming are typical old scholars, while Zhang Jingsheng, Su Manshu, Xu Zhimo, and Yu Dafu are typical new scholars, but all are genuine scholars in their own right. Whether in chaos or order, true scholars remain true to themselves. They seek goodness from truth, beauty from goodness, and truth from beauty. To determine if a scholar is genuine, one must see if they are willing to enter this cycle. False scholars are obsessed with fame, fortune, power, and status. They have no choice but to rely on the "thick skin and black heart" philosophy to survive, let alone walk the cycle of truth—goodness—beauty. Even if they do, wearing a false mask, their journey is futile and meaningless. How many people possess such genuine nature and truth? To ask this question carries a hint of pessimism, but we still need to remain optimistic. At any time, true scholars will not go extinct like dinosaurs. Their existence makes it impossible for false scholars to hide and reveal themselves at will, as they cannot follow the true path.