Great Confucian scholar Chen Baise of the Ming Dynasty

Author: Cao Taiyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: Lingnan culture is a distinctive, vibrant, and colorful regional culture within the Chinese nation's cultural heritage, and its development and utilization have garnered societal attention. While the exploration, organization, and research of the rich connotations of Lingnan culture have already been carried out in the "Lingnan Treasury," its positioning is at an academic level, lacking a popularization function. Moreover, due to limitations in editorial policy and format, it cannot encompass some specific and nuanced aspects of Lingnan culture. To build Guangdong into a cultural powerhouse, it is essential to first raise the public's awareness of the region's cultural heritage. Therefore, it is necessary to publish a series of popular readers to fulfill this task. The original intention behind publishing the "Lingnan Culture Knowledge Series" stems from this need. Thus, the "Lingnan Culture Knowledge Series" can be seen as a supplement and extension of the "Lingnan Treasury." The series adopts the form of popular literature, with a wide range of topics and broad coverage. It strives for concise writing, rich illustrations, and a balance between knowledge and readability, making it a knowledge series that is both informative and engaging. The "Lingnan Culture Knowledge Series" was jointly planned and edited by the "Lingnan Culture Knowledge Series" Editorial Committee and the Guangdong China National Culture Promotion Association. The Editorial Committee was responsible for the specific implementation, and the Guangdong People's Publishing House was the publisher. Chen Baishi, as a thinker in ancient Guangdong who made outstanding achievements in Confucianism, has been respected for 500 years. In his "New Words of Guangdong," Qu Dajun introduced many aspects of his character, scholarship, and gave him high praise. Contemporary research on Chen Baishi primarily focuses on systematically organizing his thought using modern philosophical concepts. Some scholars even place him within the social context of Guangdong since the Ming Dynasty—a period of economic development and cultural prosperity—examining how his achievements were not accidental but rather a product of the times. In my opinion, whether materialist or idealist, philosophy can make its contributions at a certain historical stage. What matters is whether it provides with innovative intellectual teaching materials. As an idealist thinker, Chen Baishi holds innovative value.