The Historical Thought And Practice Of Li Yuan-du

Li Yuan-du, a scholar in Hunan during Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperor of Qing Dynasty, who is famous for his scholarship and ambition and also an important figure in Hunan army in late Qing Dynasty. After experiencing changes in society and failure in the imperial examination, he leads troops as a scholar, but he does not establish brilliant achievements in war. Rich and plentiful cultural achievement handed down to posterity is the first contribution Li Yuan-du made to the modern history, which is rarely researched by the academia. Then, this thesis starts from the study of his historical works Guochaoxianzheng-Shilue and corpus Tianyueshanguan-Wenchao, putting these works in a political situation which bears the late Qing Dynasty on the decline and in an academic background which focus on the study of state craft, making a further probe into the forming, connotation and practice of his historical thought, and can disclose the influence which his historical research thought and immoral classics have on the modern historical study.Considering from his historical thought and academic background, study style of Hunan, family circumstance, teachers, friends and his life experience has an important effect on his historical thought. His historical thought, including his opinions on nature of historical study and historian accomplishment, and his view formed and his contribution made on biography history, chorography and Genealogy. Besides, he also points out the accomplishment that a historian should have. The accomplishment mainly includes write books and sets up a theory which should eliminate the parochial prejudice, insisting on a writing attitude that write according to the reality, forgetting personal vendetta, and spirit "leave the question open" existed in historiography. Take his historical work Guochaoxianzheng-Shilue as an example, the motif, specific content, characters of selected material and historical value about its compilation can't be neglected. This thesis is the most typical and influential historical works, we can know the related content generally about his historical practice by analysising and studying it on all sides.By exploring his historical thought and practice, it is helpful for us to be acquainted with the same type of people in late Qing Dynasty deeply and has a profound academic value and historical meaning.