The Relatian Between YitangJiuzi And The Learning Trend At The Beginning Of Qing Dynasty

Nine Masters of Yitang refers to the nine scholars who lived in solitude in the Mountain Cuiwei which is located in Ningdu City, Jiangxi Province in the early Qing Dynasty. The nine masters are, namely, the three brothers ---Wei Jiduan, Wei Xi and Wei Li, Peng Shiwang, Qiu Weiping, Lin Shiyi, Li Tengjiao, Zeng Can and Peng Ren. "Nine Masters of Yitang" was an important scholar community at the turn of Ming and Qing dynasties, but also a well-known education group and an academic school at that time. At the transition of Ming and Qing dynasties when china was in a mess, they either studied in the mountains in a reclusive way or toured for giving lectures and making friends with the national humiliation and family misfortune in their heart. During several decades, they not only created a large amount of works of literature, but also committed themselves to education training a great number of talents with the idea of"learning to administer state affairs in order to apply it". They summarized the thoughts and achievement of the former masters with critical and innovative eye, and finally formed the well-known "Yitang Scholar". They were marked in the history by their ideas of pursuing their studies, educating the citizens, administering state affairs and so on. The turn of Ming and Qing dynasties was a big troublous period in China's history when Chinawas undergoing frequent dynasty changes, the tendency of the liberation of personality was emerging, and the criticism towards feudal ideology was sharper. People began to awaken, such as litterateurs, thinkers, historians and textual-researchers, especially the people left in Ming dynasty. These people began to look for the evidence for the information on politics, economy and society, therefore, the study for practice of Ming and Qing dynasties emerged and embarked on flourish. Like many other personages in the late Ming Dynasty, "Nine Masters of Yitang" considered as the national humiliation and family misfortune that the aristocrats of Manzu came into power and Ming dynasty was overthrowned. Therefore, they refused to cooperate with the court, lived in YItang away from society and learned from and encouraged each other, and training the young generation,which enabled them the elites of the country and the nation. They advocated the idea of"learning to administer state affairs in order to apply it"which not only had a positive impact on rectifying the impractical lixue and forming the practical tend of thought, but also created a fresh environment for studying , which had a great influence on that moment and the present time. Although "Nine Masters of Yitang" were differnt from each other in hometowns, in values and hobbies, and even in relations, they still got brilliant achievement in literature, history, philosophy, poetry, painting and other fields by living in a friendly, encouraging and learning way. Their philosophy of studying and life had a great effect on the early Qing Dynasty and even took its place in the history of Chinese thought and culture. Their style of literature affected directly the schools after the early Qing Dynasty and also their thoughts on study deeply influenced the study style of the early Qing Dynasty.