A Study On The Academic Thoughts Of Tang Shunzhi Based On A Chronicle List Of His Letters

The objective of my master's thesis is to examine and interpret the sophisticated academic thoughts of Tang Shunzhi唐順之via chronicling all existing letters written by Tang, amounting to 216 overall, especially following the academic orientation that could be concluded as "documentary research in combination with thinking" and "intellectual history studies without losing primary literature".By employing Chinese traditional textual criticism as the principal methodology, in Chapter I:A Chronicle of Tang Shunzhi's Correspondence,195 letters of Tang out of 216 have been listed in a chronicle order while 21 letters have not been listed as there are very few clues. All of the letters are based on the Collected Works of Tang Shunzhi printed by Tang Hezheng唐鶴徵in 1573 which was photocopied and embodied in Si-bu cong-kan四部叢刊,and the Collected of Lost Works of Tang Shunzhi荊川公佚文compiled by Tang Dingyuan唐鼎元during the Republican period. The chronicle designs primarily for the following aspects:(i) to explore the evolution of Tang's academic thoughts during the 26 years, (ii) to research the association between Tang and other scholar-officials of his generation, and (iii) to correct some historical facts of Tang's life. In particular, according to the evidence research, there is no doubt that Tang was recommended and manipulated by Yan Song嚴嵩,who was in power at that time, to resume his official career in 1558 after being dismissed from office at the end of 1540.As for the Chapter II, "the theory of effort工夫論",a theory which mainly discussed all kinds of approaches to Confucian moral ideal, is taken as a breakthrough point to induce and reason the academic thoughts of Tang Shunzhi based on the previous chronicle of letters.As a threshold matter, Tang's theory of effort could be divided into two dimensions:extroversion and introversion. In former dimension, Tang adhered to do Confucian moral self-cultivation based on the principles of "no distinction between advocating quietness and advocating action靜鬧無二",and "concentrating the training on just one point絕利一源"in general; in the latter one, statecrafts which was vital to the ordinary people in society, such as local administrative work and military work etc., was also viewed as indispensible exercises for scholar's moral self-cultivation and thus was regarded as part of the theory of effort.In the second place, this chapter further analyzes the hidden connections between Tang's literary thought, practical thought and willingness to resume his official career regardless public opinions, and his theory of effort. Firstly, the author refutes that Tang experienced an abrupt change in his academic thoughts when he was about forty years old such a prevailing standpoint, and upholds that both of Tang's literary and practical thought actually evolved with the development of his theory of effort. On the one hand, Tang admitted that both literature and practical learning are part of the Principle in theoretical level so that he attached importance to literature and practical learning theoretically. When it came to the reality, however, Tang argued that there were too many neo-Confucian scholars in his time who paid excessive attention to various arts and techniques, and as a consequence, the time and effort which ought to be put on pursuing the Principle were detracted. In this situation, he disdained literature and practical learning. Secondly, the author believes the action that Tang's resuming his official career was a reflection of his theory of effort. He consistently stressed local administrative and military work and viewed them as effective ways of scholar's moral self-cultivation even after being removed from office, hence it was almost natural for him to resume official career especially when his hometown was scourged by "Japanese pirates", although the recommender Yan Song had a rather bad reputation.