Observing The Gener And Coping With Change-Kang Youwei And The Modern Transformation Of Confucianism

Kang Youwei lived in a special era when there was a big collision between Chinese civilization and Western civilization and when is also the turning point from traditional to modern. Under the impact of modern Western industrialization civilization, the traditional Chinese system was disintegrated, Confucianism was declining, and China was faced with the crises of the death of the state, the death of the species, as well as the death of Confucianism.Faced with such crises and challenges, Kang Youwei actively sought "change" so as to provide theoretical support for China’s political change and social transformation in the late Qing Dynasty by absorbing modern Western thoughts and transforming and reconstructing Confucianism. His main academic contents include: First, "the Incorporation of Confucianism into the Region", opening the new direction of the religionization of Confucianism. The input of Modern Western Christianity constituted a great threat to Confucianism, especially because the huge cultural contrast between the declining China and the rising West made the Chinese people at that time dealt with the religious culture pattern and its special social role seriously. The traditional China had been a "theocratic" country, where Confucianism was attached to the traditional institution and power, and Confucianism exerted influence on society through the traditional institution and power. But once the regime got caught into the crises, Confucianism was bound to face disasters. With the gradual decline and disintegration of the Qing Empire, as the ideology, Confucian was widely suspected. In order to the preservation and revitalization of Confucianism, Kang Youwei imitated the Christianity boldly and founded and advocated Confucianism by reconstructing religious Confucianism so as to provide an appropriate form for the development of Confucianism. Kang Youwei’s "Incorporation of Confucianism into the Region" opened up a new way of the religious Confucianism, which was basically undertaken by the contemporary Neo-Confucian renaissance movement later. Second, "the Introduction of Western Factors into Confucianism", modernizing the content of Confucianism. "The Incorporation of Confucianism into the Region" was used to change the form of Confucianism, but "the Introduction of Western Factors into Confucianism" was used to update and modernize the content of Confucianism by absorbing modern Western civilization factors. Kang Youwei input the evolution, democratic politics and humanitarianism, etc. into the ideology of Confucianism by the interpretation way of the orthodox text of Jinwenjingxue. Kang Youwei was the first scholar who used the term "science" in modern China, and he clearly stated the thought of "Science Saves the Nation", trying to link the development of science and the salvation of the state. Kang Youwei tried to introduce the scientific method into the study of Confucianism, though he was not a blind worship of science, thinking science and morality would have their respective roles and boundaries. Third, building the Datong Society, trying to reconstruct the ideal country. According to Kang’s new theory of "the Three Eras, the Datong Society is not only the highest stage of the development of the Confucian society but also the political implementation of the Confucian ideal. Kang Youwei’s thoughts about the Datong Society used "benevolence" as the starting point and the core, used "relieving pain and pursuing happiness" as the goal, was to be constructed by removing " the Nine Circles"(九界) based on the analysis of the world’s suffering, and was tried to achieve the state of the absolute equality,the absolute impartiality the absolute benevolence, and the best governance. Kang’s books presented many thoughts, such as free from the family, free from the country, and the establishment of a world government, envisaged the development direction of modern society in some way. In the sense that any consummate idea needs to build utopia, "the Datong Book" of Kang was self-evident to Confucianism.Kang’s "change" of Confucianism aimed at addressing the crises of "the death of the state, the death of the species, as well as the death of Confucianism" facing modern China. His advocate of Confucianism legislation aimed to protect the Religion, and his introduction of democracy and science aimed to achieve a strong country. Several major issues of Confucianism raised by the invasion of modern Western culture were responded to by Kang Youwei:First, whether Confucianism was linked with religion; second, the traditional political Confucianism needed the new development while modern Western democratic ideas entering; third, the relationship between Confucianism and science. He proposed "the religious Confucianism " so as to respond to the challenge of Christianity, proposed "the Three Erasso as to develop traditional political Confucianism, reconstruct the Datong society which is a Utopia with Confucian-featured, and proposed juxtaposed "Confucianism" and "Substance Knowledge(i.e. science)" so as to deal with the relationship between Confucianism and science. It should be said that these responses of Kang Youwei were groundbreaking and influenced the later development of the Neo-Confucianism.Kang’s change of Confucian was no simply transplant or copy of the Western thought, but "observing the general" so as to "cope with change" based on the tradition:First, Kang Youwei had "respecting Confucius, protecting Confucianism" as the callings in his entire lifetime. His change of Confucianism stood on the Confucian position and assimilated additional thoughts so as to enrich, improve, preserve and develop Confucianism and made Confucianism more responsive to the needs of social change and development. Second, Kang’s Neo-Confucian system was constructed based on Jinwenjingxue and was a modern development of traditional political Confucianism. Jinwenjingxue was the Confucian tradition which was founded by Confucius in the pre-Qin era, were flourished by Dong Zhongshu and HE Xiu in the Han Dynasty, and were revived by Zhuang Cunyu and Liu Panglu, etc. of the "Changzhou School". Third, benevolence was a core category which was always consistent in Kang’s thoughts. Benevolence was not only the ethics of human society, the moral foundation of ideal politics and the power of the evolution, but also the body of the universe. Fourth, Kang’s ideas such as "heaven and mankind as a whole", "inner divine and external overlord ", as well as the humanitarian concerns of this world, inherited the Confucian tradition. Therefore, Kang’s transformation of Confucianism did not abandon the Confucian tradition, but was based on the Confucian tradition and expand the inclusiveness of Confucianism by digging reforming "essence" of the Gongyang School and the input of Western thoughts.Modern Neo-Confucianism arose in response to the crises facing the Chinese society since the modern era, and also in response to the challenges of modern Western civilization. The paper analyzed the meaning of the modern Neo-Confucianism from the perspective of the transformation of modern Confucianism and found out that there are two debatable arguments about the definition of "the Modern Neo-Confucianism" in the current academic:first:"the Neo-Confucianism" is confined into the traditional orthodoxy Confucian, especially Songming Lixue (mainly Xinxing Confucianism, while other forms of Confucianism are excluded; second, the modern Neo-Confucian is positioned in a conservative response to fierce anti-traditional phenomena of the "May Fourth" New Culture Movement, which excludes reflective Confucian scholars such as Kang Youwei before 1919. In the paper, the author amended the definition of "the Modern The Neo-Confucianism", and demonstrated from the two aspects of observing the general and coping with changethat Kang’s Confucianism was not only consistent with the new of "the Modern Neo-Confucianism" but also consistent with the old of "the Modern Neo- Confucianism", all of which means that Kang Youwei was a pioneer of modern Neo-Confucianism indeed. Kang Youwei’s ideas about Confucianism change and his ideas of observing the general and coping with change still have inspirations for the contemporary Neo-Confucianism.Kang Youwei’s Confucianism as the beginning of modern Confucianism, has important academic value and practical significance:First, it helps to further define the mission of the modern Neo-Confucianism; second, it helps to help Confucian research orient to China problem; third, it helps to the new advance of the modern the Neo-Confucianism.