On The Kang Youwei Confucian Thought And Practice

The points of common people to Kang Youwei include both the praise and the blame, but everybody thinks that Confucianism is a very important part in his life and very much to Kang Youwei's valuation. Liang Qichao once said:"Kang Youwei's maximal contribution to Chinese citizen for the greatest is his religious undertaking, because of which people in the land under heaven give him bad valuation." Qianmu also said: "Change of Kang Youwei's thought happened in the front and back of Constitutional Reform and Modernization. Kang Youwei become brassbound from being radical, occuping two extremes. The unique turn having no unexpected was that he always persisted in respecting and advocating Confucianism." Therefore we reach a conclusion that Confucianism is both the important basis to appraise Kang Youwei and the sticking of his thought, besides the relation among this both is very delicate.Chapter one: Kang Youwei's Confucianism thought originated from 19 centuries eighties and become perfect during the Constitutional Reform and Modernization of 1898. During the time-background of crashing in Chinese culture and the Western, Kang Youwei drawed support from Western culture to reform Confucianism, on the other hand, he made efforts to have Confucianism become a religion. What Kang Youwei's purpose is founding China-self religion on the basis of Chinese history habit, using west Christianity pattern. Kang Youwei thought that Chinese could be united only by having religious belief to make the country prosperous and powerful. However, Kang Youwei's attitude of not being realistic and subjectivity aroused enormous people to go against him and books writtien by him had been also forbidden, because of which the resistance of the Constitutional Reform and Modernization increased by several times.Chapter two: During the later stage of Ching dynasty social structure had happened enormous transform, four original people society of scholar, farmer, handicraftsman and merchant had disintegrated. The scholar stratum had also appeared to become divided obviously, permeating and changing to other fields of the society for survival, but other stratum took the chance to draw close to the "scholar" with efforts. It is completed to the beginning of Republic is annual. Meanwhile Confucianism and its value idea had declined gradually, traditional morality system of society was denied and collapsed, more and more people aspected to rebuild the morality in the beginning of Republic.Chapter three: Although the Constitutional Reform and Modernization of 1898 failed, Confucianism -movement had not disappeared and ended its historical life together. During the initial period of Republic, Kang Youwei told his student Chen Huanzhang to establish Confucianism-meeting once again, which got many people respond to and jion in. They made great efforts to fix Confucianism for state religion and required the clause written in constitution, seeking one system to ensure Confucianism after the imperial examination system being abolished.The Confucianism was criticized by radical people such as Chen Du Xiu ,because Kang Youwei and others had been involved in Yuan Shikai and Zhang Xun 's politics, Confucianism was substituted of the New Culture Movement which opposed Confucian afterwards. In fact there were many difference between Confucianism Movement and feudalism restoration, the Confucianism Movement was the Conservative culture moves which Kang Youwei rebuilded the belief of nation, facing the moral crisis and society crisis in the beginning of 20 centuries.Chapter four: Because of transforming in historical setting there were many differences between the two Confucianism Motions advocated and establishesd by Kang Youwei, which was originated from his deep patriotic feelings. Kang Youwei carried out politics by the Confucianism during Constitutional Reform and Modernization of 1898, he had submitted written statements to the emperor for many times to get supports, however, the emperor hadn't promise and accomplish his requests. Confucianism-thought mainly remained in theory and produced gigantic effect on public opinion. During the initial stage of Republic Kang Youwei tried his best to rebuild morality and belief drawing supports from politics authority. Because many people such as Kang Youwei were bented on fixing Confucianism for state religion, Confucianism become an political instrument and confused whith the provisional politics on many people's opinion. Confucianism moved the ultimate and made for complete failure in the New Culture Movement afterwards .The text is basically divided into two major parts: firstly, through the description why Kang Youwei advocated and built Confucianism and what contemporaries' reaction and attitude on Confucianism are, the writer is to find out the political purpose and effect of the Confucianism during Constitutional Reform and Modernization of 1898. Secondly , through the description what Kang Youwei told his Student and they tried their best to do about the Confucianism during the Republican period, Managing clearly the relation between Confucianism-meeting and politics of restoring a monarchy, the writer is to find out the impact of politics that time over the activity of Confucianism thereby. Thirdly, the writer intends to compare the first two parts and find out various differences what Confucianism was under the two historical settings, inspecting thought how to develop in political and cultural practice, in order to seek the enlightenment of the rebuilding the belief times.