A Study Of Zeng Guofan’s Moral Education Thought And Its Contemporary Enlightenment

Zeng Guofan,famous official in Qing dynasty,was a learned scholar and confucian philosopher in the late Qing dynasty as well as a famous politician,strategist and thinker.He was buried with the highest treatment of Qing funeral at death and had deep influence in Chinese history.From the ethical and moral aspects,Zeng guofan’s moral education thought having unique feature and wisdom,is worthy to research.Zeng guofan’s discourse and behaviors contain great wisdom of life.Zeng Guofan grew up in the late feudal society.After the Opium War of 1840,China was gradually reduced to the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.The Policy of Qing Government were facing dangerous situations that the domestic class divisions were increasingly deepening and the national conflicts were constantly deepening abroad.In the historical background of the domestic trouble and foreign invasion,the production of Zeng guofan’s moral education thought include two aspects of theoretical sources and practice sources.In terms of theoretical origin,Zeng Guofan’s moral education thought mainly rooted in Confucianism---the “internal saints and external kings”,Mohist---industrious and thrifty,Taoism---void-quietness,stubborn and tenacious character and emphasizing statecraft of the people in Hu xiang Migration.In terms of practice sources,it mainly came from good family tradition of Zeng Clan,the help of good teachers and beneficial friends,and Zeng Goufan’ own untiring pursuit and rich experience.Through understanding Zeng Guofan’s biography and studying abundant writings of letters,diary,poems,memorials and so on,we could summarize that Zeng Guofan’s ideological system of moral education includes three aspects: self-cultivating,offspring-educating and family-regulating,how to be an official.In the aspect of morality cultivation,Zeng Guofan motivated himself and educated offspring with eight virtues,four poles and three governances.In the aspect of regulating family,he has a good effect on family management.He managed family with good ways,which include filial piety and brotherly love,hardworking and thrifty,scholarship,good-neighbourliness and so on.Zeng Guofan’s family moral education thought had a great impact on his posterity.These made Zeng family produce many talented persons and stretch good fortune from generation to generation.In the aspect of being an official,Zeng Guofan was honest and clean,was devoted to his duty,knew how to judge and use people and advocated emphasizing statecraft.At last,he retired after winning merit in the cataclysmic political environment of late Qing Dynasty.Zeng Guofan’s moral education thought has a great contemporary enlightenment for promoting personal self-cultivation,contributing to family governance,improving the officials’ ability.In the aspect of self-cultivation,we should focus on strengthening personal moral cultivation,improving personal reflection and self-restraint,cultivating the character of perseverance.In the aspect of family governance,we should build a good general family heirloom,train talents with ability and integrity,develop open-minded concept of wealth.In the aspect of being officials,officials should impove the ability to resist corruption,stick to diligent and pragmatic work style,stuck to correct duide of choosing and using cadres.Sum up to say,the study of Zeng Guofan’s moral education thought has great significance for enhancing personal ideological and moral quality,promoting famliy more harmonious,improving officials’ service level,reinforcing the construction of socialist spiritual civilization,and developing traditional culture.