The Spirit of the Chinese People: The Complete Collection

Author: Gu Hongming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-03-01
Features: The purpose of this book is to attempt to explain the spirit of Chinese civilization and reveal its value. In my view, if we want to assess the value of a civilization today, the focus should not be on how magnificent its cities are, how splendid its architecture, or how well-connected its roads are; nor on how elegant and comfortable its furniture is, how clever and practical its instruments, tools, or equipment are; nor even on the systems, arts, and sciences it creates. To assess the value of a civilization, we should explore the type of human beings it produces—men and women. In fact, men and women—the type of people—are the products of a civilization; they reveal the essence and personality of the civilization, and can be said to reveal its soul. If the men and women created by a civilization reveal its essence, personality, and soul, then the language used by men and women reveals their essence, personality, and soul. As the French proverb on literary creation goes, "Style is the man." Therefore, I have chosen three subjects—true Chinese people, Chinese women, and the Chinese language—as the titles for the first three chapters of this book, in order to explain the spirit of Chinese civilization and reveal its value. The Spirit of the Chinese People (Collected Works) is the first time Gu Hongming's academic works in English and German have been published in China in a Chinese edition. This book is a remarkable representative of Gu Hongming's efforts to promote traditional Chinese culture to the West. It is illustrated with rare historical photographs, making it both visually engaging and highly readable. As a renowned scholar with expertise in both Eastern and Western studies, Gu Hongming's works, when published in Europe, once caused great excitement, with Westerners eagerly purchasing and reading them, and the works having a significant international impact. His writings have been listed as essential reading for understanding China in the West. This collected works includes The Great Principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, On the Veneration of the King, and The Qing Legacy, among others, nearly encompassing all the essence of Gu Hongming's works, making it a classic and invaluable read for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of his thought.