A Simple Analysis Of Gu Donggao’s History Knowledge

The Qing Dynasty is an important period of development of the Spring andAutumn Annals, it made a lot of explanation and research works of “Chun Qiu SanZhuan”. In the works about the spring and Autumn Annals of Qing Dynasty GuDonggao`s The table of events of the Spring and Autumn period was anoutstanding achievements and had it`s own style. Gu Donggao made a arrangedarrangement and study on Chun Qiu and Zuo Zhuan with the history of table.Including,season, some states`territory and cities, the dangerous situations ofmountains and rivers, some states`grand name and their survive and perish, somestates`bureaucracy, bureaucrats lineage, etiquette, military system, punishment, landtax, historical figures, and so on. These tables of history are not only arrangedassemblies of Chun Qiu and Zuo Zhuan, Gu Liang,Gong Yang,but also amonographic study on the history of the spring and Autumn. So,<The table ofevents of the Spring and Autumn period> is not only an important Confucian classics,but also an important historical works.Through The table of events of the Spring and Autumn period, GuDonggao investigated royal politics, hegemonic politics, monarchical power of theSpring and Autumn period,summarized the historical experience and rules, andexpected to find the method to eliminate political phenomenon that seized thesuperior power in the spring and Autumn period.The purpose of this paper is toarrange the research achievements about the history of the Spring and Autumnperiod which appeared in The table of events of the Spring and Autumnperiod,summarize Gu Donggao`s understanding to the history of the Spring andAutumn period, then analysis Gu Donggao`s view of history.This paper analysed and arranged Gu Donggao`s view about the history of theSpring and Autumn period, And to further explore Gu Donggao`s view of history.First, about the reign of the Spring and Autumn period, Gu Donggao believed that the causes of the decline of the reign were: the land emperor occupied wasreducing, the economy was poor; he improper punishment and reward, the breach ofetiquette; the civil strife happened generations to generations, the royal family wasunrest and the political system.Second, on the hegemonic politics of the Spring and Autumn period, GuDonggao believed that the geographical environment, the rulers of virtue wereimportant factors affecting the hegemonic politics. Gu Donggao also analyzed someother factors influencing the hegemonic politics. For example, the reason Qi stategot the hegemony was it payed more attention to the talents, he reason Wu state lostthe hegemony was the seigneur indulged in the joy, exhausted all resources to buildup his military power and the the royal family was withered.Third, on the state power of state in the Spring and Autumn period Gu Donggaobelieved that the reason the seigneurs lost their power were: they stuck to the formerpolicy, he improper punishment and reward, the nobles bought popular support, andthe seigneurs did not know how to check erroneous ideas at the outset. The above arethe common reasons, in addition, Gu Donggao also analyzed the reasons theseigneurs of Jin state, Lu state, Zheng state lost their power. For example, GuDonggao believed that Chu “Shui Mu”,“Zuo Qiu Jia” and the wrong strategies toweeded out the “San Huan” were the reasons the seigneur of Lu state lost his power.The understandings about the history of the Spring and Autumn period of GuDonggao, reflected some important historical concept: economic interpretation ofhistory, historical outlook on morality, historical outlook on people-oriented,historical outlook on humanism and so on.Gu Donggao was not only a famousscribes of the study on the spring and Autumn Annals research, but also a greathistorian of the study on the history of the spring and Autumn Period.