A Collection of Works by Yu Ying-shih. Volume 3: Confucian Ethics and the Spirit of Merchants

Author: Yu Ying-shih
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: These four volumes of the Collected Works are largely essays on Chinese historiography, cultural history, and intellectual history, though a few discuss Western history and culture. The writing period spans from the 1950s to the recent one or two years. Over this half-century, the author's knowledge and ideas have undergone significant changes and progress. If the author were to rewrite these essays with today's understanding, they would undoubtedly present a different face. However, whether it is rewriting or thorough revision, it is practically impossible. The author can only publish the old works anew to preserve their authenticity. The essays in this volume focus on often overlooked aspects of the study of traditional Chinese culture, elucidating the role of Han dynasty model officials in cultural transmission and the complex relationship between the evolving intellectual trends of the Wei and Jin periods and traditional Confucian and Daoist thought. Against this backdrop, the book highlights the gradual rise of the merchant class since the Ming and Qing dynasties, their close ties to traditional intellectual and cultural spheres, and the significant changes they brought to the existing social structure, all of which hold great contemporary relevance.