Study On Yen Fu's Constitutional Thoughts

Yen Fu's Constitutional Thoughts was scattered and widespread, there are very complex factors that affect the formation process of his theory, therefore, in order to understand completely the features of Yen Fu's ideology, it is asked for researchers that must use the relative analysis tools. By resolving the doubt of the constitutional concept, I sort out many compositions of the constitutional concept, such as: human rights, democracy, and rule by law, separation of powers, equality, constitution, elections, etc. Discussing on the constitution in this paper is the general constitutional concept that combines the democratic theory and the constitutional theory; and is the constitutional concept on the premise of country and government, on the basis of democracy, constitution as a starting point, the separation of powers as the core, human rights as inherent purpose. At the same time, the formative background and the evolutionary development of Yen Fu's constitutional thought was also divided and studied. China has to face the double crises of the internal and external"troubles"in modern time; it is hard for any local and progressive social reform. The desire for the constitution and the constitutional movement for advanced Chinese people is not a result of Chinese economic and social development, but is a reaction of the Western strike. The constitution was introduced, as the view that Western wealth and power embedded in the Western system of constitutional democracy, and it is affected by the traditional culture. The constitution was regarded as the implement of"saving the nation from extinction and wealth and power", so the constitutional view of tool-ism——"constitution– wealth and power– to save the nation from extinction"was produced. Yen Fu early learned in Fuzhou Shipping School, after graduation he travelled around in"Granville"ship, and then he studied abroad in Britain after his practice for five years in that ship. With his accumulation of learning and experiences for many years, Yen Fu finally published"On the Change of World urgent"in 1895, and a series of political papers that expressed his initial constitutional thoughts, his strong desire is"by freedom aided with democracy management and technology"in those papers. During 1898 to 1911, Yen Fu choosed translation as his life-long career and he have published the eight translations, such as"An Inquiry Into Nature and Caouses of the Wealth of Nations","History of Politics","The Spirit of the Laws,"and so on, and added their own note; he also delivered the lecture of Western political science in 1905, and then his speech was published as a"Political Lecture". During this period time, although his thoughts was not as intensive and sharp as the Restoration period of 1898, was more steady-going and steadily refined than those of the Restoration period of 1898, I have been going to discuss roundly for a lot of his ideas. The constitutional thoughts have also been gradually shifted from the pre-fragmented state into the systematization. After 1911, as Yen Fu's old age, his attention have changed that the focus shifted from the thought what is the Chinese characteristics to the constitutional road into the thought how to go the Chinese characteristics to the constitutional road, this is the sublimation of constitutional thought.With this analysis means of the constitutional concept, we can find its premise and foundation in Yen Fu'thoughts: state system, political system and democracy; at the same time the main contents of Yen Fu's thoughts was came out: Firstly, as a constitutional starting point for constitution; Secondly, as a core of the separation of powers; Thirdly, as the human rights of the inherent purpose. By coordinating Yen Fu's constitutional thought, then the inherent care of Yen Fu's constitutional thought was naturally revealled. Some scholars'study reveals that Yen Fu's ideological core is wealth and power that is a constitutional view of tool-ism of"constitution– wealth and power– to save the nation from extinction", as Professor Wang Renbo. The conclusions of some scholars'study in Yen Fu's thoughts is that Yen Fu has always concerned about its freedom that is to create the liberalism that has"Chinese characteristics", the liberalism shows three characteristics as the following: search for wealth and power; permission for freedom, democracy and capitalism, but refusing to re-group in a light, and that having both groups; Thirdly, the reform of the gradual adjustment. Huang Kewu is a representative. Some scholars also think that Yen Fu searched for"Governance". As Wu Zhangliang pointed out that Yen Fu not only search for wealth and power, in fact, he has a deep and thick world value of"Confucian personality", omnipresent"easy-and Taoist-world", as well as, he was affected by the thinking ways of the traditional influence of Confucianism and Taoism. The main pursuit of academic study is a consistent level of"channel for one". That is also that the highest awareness is the most common, which is in all things, and it also is the highest guiding principle and"idea"of all things and its life practice. Yen Fu's ultimate concern is to find out the road that China must follow under meeting the challenge times.……After middle-ages, he made it as his responsibility of all life.……Making China entered into the normal order means that the Chinese academic study, culture, education, ethic, politic, economy, military and all has begun to return normal.……However, the pursuit of wealth and power was not his highest aim or his highest guiding principles; it is the core and ultimate pursuit for him that makes China to return normal."Dr. Wang Jianlong supports this viewpoint.Dr. SHI seems to think that there are two cares in Yeng Fu's thoughts that are wealth and power and freedom. Despite he have written the book that the title called"Search for Wealth and Power: Yen Fu and the West", he thinks unswervingly that Yen Fu is a liberalist.Yen Fu thinks that a good political system can make countries becoming rich and strong, so this good political system is a constitution. As alo SHI pointed out that Yen Fu is a liberalist. His ideology of nation, political system, democracy, constitution, separation of powers, human rights and so on was not only included his pursuit for wealth and power, but also his desire for freedom from the overall aspects of his constitutional thoughts. If we say that his pursuit for freedom in the past time could be suppressed by his strong desire for wealth and power——"by freedom aided with democracy management and technology", then, the"Political Lecture"in 1905 is Yen Fu's many years for freedom, especially for political freedom pursued by a sublimation of highlights. Wealth and power and freedom are always one pair of twin brothers in his ultimate concern that were strict closely watched by him.In conclusion, the paper has significance as the following: Firstly, both of revolution and improvement are meaningful. Yen Fu who is a giant thinker holding reformism has been giving us a lot of inspiration; Secondly, by coordinating Yen Fu's constitutional thoughts that included into the ideology of nation, politic system, democracy, constitution, separation of powers, human rights, they are merged into his main content of constitutional thoughts; thirdly, coordinating the constitutional ideas from times and contents, to find Yen Fu's ultimate concern. For such a thinker that experienced so many events for the occasion situation, his idea is profound and complex, and constantly changing. His ultimate concern is not only one, and may be more aspects; his concern is watched either on wealth and power, or on the pursuit of freedom.