On Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue"

Liao Ping was considered the landmark figure of "the end of the Confucian classics era" by Feng Youlan. In Chinese Confucian classics history and academic history, Liao Ping has a unique position. Researches about Liao Ping’s thoughts of past have focused largely on Liao Ping’s Confucian thought for overall research, but this dissertation is on Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue" (“今古学”)for special study.In this dissertation, the "first three variables" of Liao ping’s Confucian classics was assigned to the scope of "Jin Gu Xue". I think his "Jin Gu Xue" includes two meanings:the significances of academic history and the significance of political and ideological.This dissertation focused on to explore the double meanings of Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue". On the significances of the academic history of the Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue", the dissertation mainly analyzes Liao Ping’s two books, Jin Gu Xue Kao(《今古学考》)and Gu Xue Kao(《古学考》),and trys to reveal some problems that Liao Ping distinguish new Confucian classics school(今文经学)and oid Confucian classics school(古文经学)with etiquette, and thus get a new understanding of the "Jin Gu Xue" problem,and trys to achieve the fact of academic history. On the significances of political and ideological of Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue", the dissertation mainly analyzes Liao Ping’s two books, Zhi Sheng Pian(《知圣篇》)and Di Qiu Xin Yi(《地球新义》),and trys to reveal the positive meaning that Liao Ping thought on the etiquette system in the conflict background between China and Western country, and thus trys to do " understanding of sympathy" for Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue".The main part of this dissertation includes five chapters.The first chapter mainly reveal the relationship between the ideological background of the late Qing and the academic course of Liao Ping. In the ideological background of late Qing, political, economic, and cultural have experience rapid social change. In the ideological atmosphere of the dispute between the Han and Song, New and Old, China and western country, Liao Ping’s academic experienced the transformation process from the Song confucianism to the Old confucian classics of Eastern Han to the New confucian classics of Western Han. Based this position on the New confucian classics, he criticize the empty and shallow of Song confucianism, the divorced from reality of Han confucianism, and committed to play the subtle meaning of the new Confucian classics of Western Han.He follow the traditional of "interpret the confucian classics with etiquette" and trys to find system resources that can be administered reality from traditional classics, which are trying to to save the fortunes of the decline of Qing Dyansty.The second chapter expound the connottations of the significance of academic history of Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue". In order to sovel the dispute issue between New confucian classics and Old confucian classics in confucian classics history. Liao Ping wrote Jin Gu Xue Kao, In this book, he proposed the view of "equal distinguish new Confucian classics and oid Confucian classics with etiquette". He think New Confucian classics is Confucius’s ancient learning and Oid Confucian classics is Confucius’s early learning, the differences between New confucian classics and Old confucian classics are etiquette. Eight years later, Liao Ping wrote Gu Xue Kao, proposed the view of "respect for New confucian classics and contempt Old confucian classics". He believe that most of the Confucian classics are New confucian Classics. It is only Zhou Li that really belongs to the Old confucian classics. Although, Zhou Li was faked by Liu Xin. New confucian Classics was wrote by Confucius completely, but the Old confucian Classicas was a fake that Liu Xin faked for help Wang Mang seize power of Han Dyansty. From "equal distinguish new Confucian classics and oid Confucian classics" to "respect for New confucian classics and contempt Old confucian classics", Liao Ping trys to solve the problem of dispute between New confucian classics and Old confucian classics, but because of the complexity of the problem itself, he did not solve this problem. Also, because of the stimulation of political reality, he eventually turned to the postion of New confucian Classics and trys to find system resources from Confucian classics.The third chapter elucidate the connottations of the significance of politics ideological of Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue". Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue" in the meaning of politics ideological is mainly to solve the issues dispute between China and Western. Zhi Sheng Pian reflects Liao Ping’s academic pursuit of "knowing saint" and "translating Confucian classics". He elucidate the "subtle meaning" of confucius through "translating confucian classics", and express his purpose of "respecting confucius and respecting confucian classics". He believe confucian classics not only has "the unification under princes"(小统)planning in China, but also has "the grand unification under the emperor"(大统) planning in the word. The "institutional reform" of Confucius legislate not only for China but also for the world. Confucius is not only the sage of China but also the global leader. Di Qiu Xin Yi reflects Liao Ping’s view of the world at that time the traditional Chinese value system was shaken on the impact of Western culture. On the basis of recognition of the reality of the Earth territory, Liao Ping re-planning the global territory according to the traditional Confucian Classics, and make the actual geographical distribution consistent with the classics system. His pourpose is to explain the "the grand unification under the emperor" of Confucius’s planning apply for the world after united in the Earth. Liao Ping try to find evidence in the classical world that Confucius plan "the grand unification under the emperor", so that Confucius from China to the world.The fourth chapter summarizes the Liao Ping’s view about ancient and modern, Chinese and Western. Liao Ping mainly based on the new Confucian classics school’s "Three-age" (三世) and "Three-legitimacies" (三统), insist that the development of social history is a evolution process from wild to civilization. He believes the classics system is different with historical facts. Classics system is civilizations but the historical events are savage. Although the historical reality of the world is chaos, but the ideal of the classical world is heading towards orderly. The scope that Confucianism is increasing more broad. On the basis of traditional "Three-age" and "Three-legitimacies", Liao Ping proposed "the unification under princes" and "the grand unification under the emperor". "The unification under princes" is limited territory of China, "the grand unification under the emperor" is promote all the global territory. With the development of cultural communication, the Chinese culture will be near and far to promote the global. In the future "Da Tong" of the world, Confucianism will dominate the world. Liao Ping think that although China lags behind in the material and technical aspects of the West, but the value system of traditional Chinese culture still has the superiority that the West are not comparable. Geographically, China is no longer a concept of the "middle country" in the word, but in culture, China remain the center position of the Earth. At last, the foreign countries will be enlightenment by Confucianism.The last chapter reveals the influence and significance of Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue", and evaluate Liao Ping’s contributions and limitations in the Confucian classics history. Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue" of significance of politics ideological impact Kang Youwei, and has a huge impact on society through political practice and the reform movemen. Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue" of significances of academic history impact Liu Shipei, Zhang Taiyan and others, and spread to future generations mainly through its disciples Meng Wentong and Li Yuancheng. The "ancient history" school also have been impacted. Liao Ping made quite creative view on the Confucian classics history, especially his view of "equal distinguish new Confucian classics and oid Confucian classics with etiquette", not only praised by people at that time, but also have had a tremendous impact on the later generations.In the conflict background between China and wesrern country, Liao Ping’s construction of Confucian theory in traditional Chinese culture still have theoretical and practical significance. His political ideas embodied from his concern for reality still thought-provoking.The conclusion part put Liao Ping’s position in the Confucian classics history as a case, discuss the inheritance and fracture problem of "Confucian classics tradition", and discuss the relationship between"Confucian classics tradition" and modernization. "Confucian classics tradition" will play a major role in the recognition of national identity and cultivation of the national spirit. Contemporary "New Confucian classics" research should be mining the system resources in "Confucian classics tradition", and reference for today’s system reconstruction.Liao Ping’s "Jin Gu Xue" demonstrates the issues of dispute between New and Old, China and western country, and have a major impact on the constitutional reform in Late Qing and "ancient history" school. In the academic trend from Confucian classics to history, in the ideological process from traditional to modern, Liao Ping’s position is unique.