An Analysis Of Zeng Guofan’s Confucian Scholar-bureaucratic Personality

Zeng Guofan, a representative of the traditional Chinese scholar-bureaucrats, istaken as a successful example to practise the idealistic personality of “innersageliness and outer kingliness” proposed by the Confucianism, which advocates thethought of “cultivating oneself, running the household, governing the country, andbringing peace to the world”. As for cultivating oneself, Zeng imposed highself-discipline, and, approximately, severe moral discipline on himself, thusbecoming a symbol of virtue for the world. Speaking of running the household, Zengpaid special attention to the education of his family members, and not only was therea harmonious and brotherly relationship between them when Zeng was still alive, butthere are also great achievements made by his off-springs. The book, Family Lettersby Zeng Guofan, has become a popular well-known one for generations. And interms of governing the country and bringing peace to the world, Zeng built up anarmy in Hunan, suppressed the Taipin Rebellion, served as prime minister, and wasendowed dukedom, a title difficult for a person of Han nationality to acquire at thattime when the country was reigned by Manchu, another nationality in China, thusZeng became one of the most powerful men. In his later years, he initiated theWesternization Movement in China, opening up the door for learning from the westin the modern history of China. In this sense, Zeng, if judged by the virtue standardof the Confucianism, can be viewed as a greatly successful figure in history. So itproves that the idea of “inner sageliness and outer kingliness” can be realized in thetraditional society.To be specific, Zeng’s success is mainly related to the following two factors,one is to cultivate oneself and form the personality of perseverance on the basis ofthe Confucian virtue system, and the other one is to unite the scholar-bureaucratsaround him. But viewing the success of the bureaucratic scholars represented byZeng at the level of the whole traditional society, it can be said their success ismainly attributed to the wholeness of the traditional society, which provides three basics for the realization of the idealistic personality: firstly, the firm belief ofHeavenly way in the Confucianism, secondly, the existence of the Confucian elites,and thirdly, the traditional clan system. These three fundamental social-culturalfactors guarantee the self-realization of the Confucian individual.Although the three factors have already been on the verge of extinction, yet, bymeans of theoretical reconstructions, we can transform the idealistic personality forthe modern intellectuals, and henceforth keep its existence. Contemporarily, Chinaneeds to construct its own theoretical system for the intellectuals, and firmly supporttheir spiritual independence and independent personality. In this process, we canassimilate the traditional Confucian thought, and take it as one of the theoreticalresources. What deserves inheriting most from the Confucianism is theconsciousness of responsibility among the Confucians, which should serve as thefoundation for reconstructing the values and beliefs for the current scholars. In thissense, it is of great importance to re-read and re-interpret Zeng, and to analyze hisidealistic personality, not only for our ability to be self and to interact with the world,but also for the reconstruction of the societal order. At the political level theConfucianism has lost its practical value, but it still bears significant effect andinfluence on the social-cultural life at a broad level.