"Jiangnan 's First Reading People" - The Evolution Of Modern Scholars In

Gu is one of the famous surname in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The most distinguished one is the Gus in Weiting and it is known as “the No. one literary family in the regions south of the Yangtze River”. The Gus in Weiting not only has enjoyed a long history with luxuriant branches but also has cultivated a galaxy of talents. In the earlier Qing Dynasty there are such persons like Gu Yuxian and Gu Sili; in the late Qing Dynasty the representatives are Gu Yuankai and Gu Houkun; and in the Republic of China(1912-1949) there are academic masters with the Gu surname like Gu Jiegang and Gu Tinglong as the leaders. Therefore, the Gus in Weiting is really a cultural noble family. The Gu surname in Weiting not only inherited the “profound”which is the family tradition in the regions south of the Yangtze River since ancient time but also has its own unique spirit in the aspect of culture area. It has established relatively well-developed clan organizations and reasonable clan regulations. All these are reflected in the management of Yi Zhuang(a clan charitable establishment) and tombs. The management of Yi Zhuang is mainly focused on the charity and education while the management of tombs is the main way to strengthen the internal cohesion among the Gu family on the base of pursuing the common family memory.With the great change in society, politics and culture, the pursuing of studies of the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River also progress with the passing time.However, the change on academic is based on its profound family traditions. The structures of marriage and social network of the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River is established on the cultural pursuit. Therefore, the marriage and social network have an important influence on the studies of the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River. It will continually go forward under the influence of others within the social network. Meanwhile, it also has influences on others in the aspect of pursuing studies. This has a good promotion to the inheritance and innovation of academy. Besides the influence of social network, the spatial location and the information the Gus has achieved also have influences on the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River. In the later Qing Dynasty, the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River lived in Suzhou, near the Pingjiang Road and the Xuanmiao Temple in which have the strongest cultural phenomenon. This provides an inherent spatial advantage for the Gus to pursue studies. Shanghai has been an international port city with high-speed information since the late Qing Dynasty while Suzhou at this time is in a closure and delayedness. Gu Jiegang and Gu Tinglong are the representatives of the Gus in the late Qing Dynasty. They frequently travel to and fro between Suzhouand Shanghai at this time. This kind of spatial mobility provides some external assistance for their achievements in academics.Throughout the process of pursuing studies of the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River, we can find that there is the traditional family inner logic in the study evolution of the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River. Its study has undergone the literature in the earlier Qing Dynasty, the historical scholarship in the middle term of Qing Dynasty, the global vision in the late Qing Dynasty and the academic masters like Gu Jiegang and Gu Tinglong in the early period of the Republic of China(1912-1949). Although there are different academic directions in different periods, the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River has the following characteristics: advocate the literature in its family tradition, focus on the social truth in its family perception, stick to the tradition and advance with the times in its family spirits. The study evolution of the Gus in the regions south of the Yangtze River can also be seen as a miniature of modern Chinese academia during the period of transition.