Elegant Civilization: A New Study On Gu Hong-ming's Cultural Ideal

In the cultural history of modern China, Gu Hong-ming has been always laughed at for his foolish loyalty to Qin Dynasty. Even Monarchy has been abolished for many years, Gu Hong-ming still wears the clothes of Qin Dynasty with a long hair-tail.He is also addicted to traditional culture, even polygamy. So he is criticized being a eccentric guy, a foolish loyal slave of Qin Dynasty. Until to 1980's or 1990's, he is getting more and more praise. He is praised for his patriotism or his deeply love for Chinese nation.He is regarded as a scholar of cultural nationalism.Actually,he opposes against strongly nationalism and patriotism.He points out that nationalism and patriotism are the main causes of the first world war. What he cares for most is neither the power of Qin Dynasty or the benefit of Chinese nation. What he devotes himself for is to find out a remedy to cure the materialism of Modern Civilization according to Confucianism.Gu Hong-ming's cultural ideal is to cultivate the "populace or mob" of the modern western people to moral man of Confucianism through the morale ducation of moral personality characterized by delicacy, so that to establish the moral order and eliminate the drawback of materialism of modern civilization.He devotes himself for his ideal.In Gu Hong-ming's opinion, moral force should control, direct physical force, even give an appropriate degree for the physical force, which is the real civilization.The aim of civilization is to educate persons to be ones with beautiful humanity and moral quality. So civilization should be judged by the moral personality which it produces.With his elegant civilization, Gu Hong-ming criticizes the circumstances of China and Western Civilization.He thinks the mob-worship (namely materialism) is the same dilemma of China and western civilization and the only way to solve the dilemma is to establish moral order. In order to establish moral order, firstly, he asks western people to learn moral knowledge from China, which he calls "expansion".secondly, he takes Qi dynasty as a good example of best political system for western people, thirdly, he designs religion of good-citizen according to Confucianism for western people.He dreams that the king can replace the God so as to establish a new religion belief for western people.He is deeply influenced by Western Romanticism, especially, by Thomas Carlyle, Matthew Arnold. If judged from his thoughts, he is more like a western person. He is one of the thinkers in China who firstly reflect the modernity, and he is also a thinker who spread Confucianism in western counties, who realize the value of Confucianism for modernity.