Qian Academic Thought Research On The History Of The Ming And Qing

In terms of the whole history of Chinese academic thought, the academic thought of Ming and Qing dynasties is an important hub for the period. This transition is not only the product of dynasty alternation and social change, but also embodies the origins of academic development in modern times and evolutionary process. The research of Qian Mu, who was a modern Chinese well-known historian, is undoubtedly a key to understanding the real development of the Ming and Qing academic thought. In view of this, based on Qian Mu’s research on the academic thought history of Ming and Qing dynasties, this dissertation studies some specific topics of Qian Mu’s research and his thought and methods, and explores the development of Qian Mu academic thoughts. The influence of Qian Mu’s research is further investigated so that the evolution of the academic thought in Ming and Qing dynasties can be better understood.Ming and Qing is the critical period for the transformation of traditional academic to modern academic in China, Qian Mu has many studies in this field, which reflect the formation, development and characteristics of his academic thoughts. In Qian Mu’s numerous research writings, he focused on the scholars and schools, especially the analysis and evaluation on the academic thoughts of Cheng-Zhu theory in early Ming dynasty, Wang Yangming, Donglin school, and Liu Zongzhou, and the representative writings such as Mingruxuean. Another key point is the grasp of the development trend of macro academic thought, such as the feature of academic thoughts in Ming dynasty, academic thoughts of the adherents of Ming dynasty, academic thoughts in Qianjia period, and the study of Jinwen-Classics in late Qing dynasty, etc. In the process of research on academic history of Ming and Qing dynasties, Qian Mu’s own ideas also changed under the effects of various factors, such as the change of understanding for the academic thoughts of Wang Yangming, and the change in the evaluation of Mingruxuean etc. The research on these questions exhibits Qian Mu’s understanding and grasp of academic thought history of Ming and Qing dynasties and the changing process of his own academic thought, and also helps to study the development of academic thought in Ming and Qing dynasties.The study of the specific issues mentioned above embodies Qian Mu’s distinctive thought for academic studies. First, the context of the development of academic thought is emphasized, based on which the academic thought is investigated and evaluated, e.g. The study of the academic thought history of Ming and Qing dynasties is placed in the academic thought history of China and the trend of the development of Confucianism, so that a new understanding is obtained. Secondly, he attaches great importance to "the study from Neo-Confucianism to JingShi "——the development trace of academic thought in the Ming and Qing dynasties. This is undoubtedly of great importance in a modern sense, for it:(1) values the academic inheritance, but transcends the popular thought of "academic school" in the traditional and modern academic history research;(2) advocates for understanding the condition and status of the development of the Ming and Qing academic thought in a perspective of academic development in China, rather than make a simple comparison with western theories; and (3) highlights the modern academic ideas and innovates in research styles, reflecting the modern history research paradigm. Somehow, the influence of Qian Mu on the following research for the academic thoughts of Ming and Qing dynasties can be sensed from the research approach of Yu Yingshi, who is one of Qian mu’s disciples.In terms of the current status, researches about Qian’s study for academic thought of Ming dynasty mainly focus on the study of Yangming, while an overall study is rather scarce. A systemic analysis of Qian Mu’s research can provide a better understanding for the evolution and modern transformation of the academic thought of Ming and Qing dynasties on the one hand, on the other hand it helps to discover the meaning of Qian Mu’s research as an academic example, which is undoubtedly a useful reference for the contemporary research on the academic thought history of Ming and Qing dynasties.