| The famous historian Chen Yanke once wrote in the preface of Textual Research on Zheng Guangming's Records of Government Officials in Song Dynasty:"The culture of Huaxia Nationality witnessed the vicissitude of thousands of years, but reached its peak in Song Dynasty. " Neo-Confucianism in Song Dynasty is the overall transform and improvement of Huxiang culture. It not only marked the refinement and progress in national thinking, but also presented the philosophical wisdom and ethical spirit of Chinese nation. In the development history of Neo-Confucianism ethical spirit in Song Dynasty, ethical spirit of Hu Hong functioned uniquely as the link of the past and the future, inheriting the tradition as well as carrying forward the revolution. Peng Shi in Ming Dynasty once said that HU Hong and his father "both are great scholars, inspired Confucian school of philosophy of Zhu(Xi) in Xin'an, Lv (Zuqian) in Donglai, and Zhang (Shi) in Nanxuan, and from then, Neo-Confucianism began to prosperous. " Hu Hong styled himself as Zhongren, and was titled Sir Wufeng.He was among the first masters of Neo—Confucianism in the beginning of Southern Song Dynasty, and the founder of Hu Xiang School. As the summarizer of Northern Song Dynasty and the initiator of Southern Song Dynasty in Neo- Confucianism, he served the important role of linkage between the preceding and the following. HU devoted his life to Neo-Confucianism and took the prosperity of Neo-Confucianism as his life-long responsibility. He once said:" Confucianism is receiving less attention now and morals decay in the society. We apprentices of Confucianism should take the responsibility whatever it may cost. " (Learning Notes of Song and Yuan Dynasty, volume 42, Comment on Wufeng Learning Notes) He followed his father to learn and study Confucianism from a very young age, then learned The Cheng's Neo-Confucianism(Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi brothers) from Yang Shi and Hou Shisheng. After that, he took the leisure tour around the foot of MT. Hengshan for more than 20 years, "focused on the pursuing of Neo-Confucianism day and night, tried to practice what he've learned, kept the consistency of knowing and doing ". (Preface of Zhi Yan). Finally, he became the crucial figure of the prosperity of Neo-Confucianism in Southern Song Dynasty. In the Comment on Wufeng Learning Notes, Quan Zuwang said:" the achievements of Shaoxin scholars never transcend that of Wufeng. Zhiyan by Wufeng, as Donglai put it, is better than Zhengmeng, and create the Hu-xiang School of Neo-Confucianism. " That is to say, in 30 years of the early Southern Song regime, Hu's achievement in Neo-Confucianism is the highest, which is an objective and accurate evaluation. Hu Hong devoted his life to developing and practicing Neo-Confucianism. He was one of the valuable and rare ideologists who held independent thinking in Southern Song Dynasty. Based on the summery of Northern Song Dynasty, he laid the foundation for the scale development of distinctive School of Huxiang, and made theoretical contribution to the progress and prosperity of Neo-Confucianism in Southern Song Dynasty. He cared about the events of that day and sufferings of the masses, therefor submit advices for the ruler to correct the wrong practice, and refused to yield to the men who were in power, which fulfilled his study purpose of'the combination of Ti and Yong'and represented his noble personality, national integrity and strong patriotism. The school of Huxiang found by Hu Hong, emphasize on both Ti and Yong, with the obvious practical characteristic. It has a profound influence on the development and formation of distinctive feature of Huxiang culture and the later talent group with the tradition to always applying what is experienced.The ethic thinking of Hu Hong is an important branch of Southern Song Neo-Confucianism thinking. It advocates the Mind and Nature Theory of "regarding nature as ontology", "nature and body are initiated by mind", "nature is neither good or bad", the View of Rationality-and-desire of "Rationality and Desire are identical in Ti but of different Yong, which also are in a group but with different conditions" and the hard work theory of "watching and recognizing cultivation to distinguish kindness. " These theories are not only with distinctive, but also well systematic and uniquely-owned. Hu Hong has regarded "inheriting the learning tradition, shouldering morality and justice, setting people's minds in line, appeasing fallacies" as his own responsibility. Meanwhile, he absorbs and digests the ethic thinkings of two Chengs and Zhangshi, and further deepening, innovating and developing an ethic thinking originated from Luo School and with unique characteristics.Hu Hong has mainly set "nature" of human ethics as its highest ontology, elaborated the relations between nature and heaven's will, nature and heaven's principles, as well as nature and Qi. He put forward the proposals of "universal variety", "nature embodies all principles" and "nature is neither good nor bad", "nature and body are initiated by mind" which contributes to many exquisite thinkings of mind and nature studies in Song and Ming Dynasty. "Universal variety" has explained the reason why everything in the world share the common origin while maintaining their own diversified features. "Nature embodies all principles" is a combination of justice principle and human nature principle. The body of nature is mutual being neither good nor bad. Human nature is a supreme of nature and the mind of heaven and earth being, as well, neither good nor bad. The body of nature falls into human beings, and nature has presented with a form-of human heart, hence "nature and body are initiated by mind" The body of human heart is human nature, kindness and heart of heaven and earth. The use of human heart is making know and rationality, establishing mastery, forming emotion and creating desire. The body of heart is identical with nature which has no living or death and endowed to everything without a miss. The use of heart can either follow morality or not, can either be correct and wrong, can either be kind and evil. Therefore humans need cultivation in ethnics and morality in order to follow the nature of heaven's will rather than being flowed into one narrow thing. The body of heart is human nature, kindness which has provided a born foundation for forming a human nature, reaching a harmony between heaven, thus "heart can form human nature"The debate of rationality and desire is a further development of ontology and heart and nature theory. The debate of rationality and desire has be closely connected with the debate of Righteousness and Profitableness which Neo-Confucius theorists strictly debates and is to provide the value principles for social life and moral cultivations of human beings. Hu Hong has started from his unique ontology, come up with the unique rationality and desire view embodying "Rationality and Desire are identical in Ti but of different Yong, which also are in a group but with different conditions" which has been served as evidence of ontology for the rational existence of human desire. Different uses and conditions have availed the necessity of leading desire, controlling desire and eliminating desire. Relating with debate of rationality and desire, the debate of Righteousness and Profitableness of Hu Hong has shown a certain reasonable elements which is the value of insisting leading profitableness by morality and creating a harmony between profitableness and morality. Related to the ontology, obvious characters can be found in Huhong's introspection theory. Originated from the same source, heart and nature are united by the body with thought without estrangement. So nature is formed by devoting to heart, and humanity can be known through observation and identification. To observe and find out the origin of kindness is the best method to confirm the kindness is born within one's heart and without any external influence. People can cultivate their heart if they have confidence, as time goes by, people can observe and identify the macrocosm of humanity by extending and promoting this heart. The basic ideology of Huxiang theory is the method of observing and identifying the humanity. This is Mou zongsan's "Neizai ni jue tizheng gongfu" theory. Hu Hong also inherited Chen Yi and his father Hu Anguo's ideology of "gaining knowledge by seeking the truth of nature". "Seeking the truth of nature by oneself " and "Self-Discipline" is one of the manifestations of Huxiang theory's character and moral which represented by Hu Hong.Huhong's ideology is so profound and subtle that has far-reaching influence. His research on "human and heaven" and esteem on the theory "inner sage, outer king" are the theoretical principles of Huxiang theory. Chief of Yuelu Academy Zhang Shi is one of his students who is influenced by Hu's ideology deeply. In preface of Hu's book "Zhi Yan" Zhang wrote:"Analyse the potential of subtle Taiji, Reach the extreme of Emperor's Mandate, conclude factors and principles to discuss, link ancient and contemporary fairs by energy, figure out the completeness of heaven's principles by seeing the bias of Human desire, thus materialists reveal the mysteries of no smell and sound. All of these make the examining of the truth within reach as well as pursuing after the endless depth of truth. both the body and use are ready to be uphold and march on. " When Zhang Shi took charge of Yuelu Academy, Zhu Xi was invited several times to give lectures. Co-lecture of Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi is the beginning of the prosperity of academic discussion in Song dynasty which can be compared with the "meeting of goose lake". Wangfuzhi inherited Huhong's ideology of "do not pursue personal benefit but strive for the benefit of the human being; do not pursue short-term benefit but strive for the benefit of our offsprings", which included in Hu's reorganizing of the "debate on Neo-Confucianism and desire" and "debate on responsibility and benefit". Learning essence of Huhong's ideology, Wang Fuzhi who lived between the Ming-Qing dynasties became one of the greatest scholar. We can find the vigour of Hu's ideology in Wang Fuzhi's book such as "Reading the Sishu" and "Sermon of Sishu". |
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