Yanfu’s Theory Of Liberalism In His Later Years

Yan Fu,called “the first person to study western culture in China”,introduced liberalism from the west in his early years.In his mind,he believed that liberalism made the west in rich.Therefore,he attempted to rescue the destiny of modern China with the freedom of the West,and to realize the prosperity of the country.In Yan Fu’s later period,due to changes in the background of the times,he returned to the tradition and rethinking Chinese and Western Culture.He found the liberalism in the thoughts of Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu.So,in his later years,he expounded liberalism in Chinese traditional culture to introduce liberalism to the masses better.This not only shows his adherence to liberalism,but also the development of liberalism in his later years,and it is the sublimation of his free thoughts.It can be said that Yan Fu’s ideology of liberalism in his later years is characterized by a comparative perspective of Chinese and Western cultures in the theoretical framework,and emphasizes freedom as the body and democracy for the use in the internal system.Therefore,my thesis attempts to explain the concept of freedom in Yan Fu’s later years through "Reviewing Lao-Tzu" and "Reviewing Chuang-Tzu",and exploring his political theory of combining Western and Western.In the first part,my article will sort out Yan Fu’s personal experience and background of the times,in order to show readers the reasons for the formation of his view of freedom in his later years and the inherent logic of its development and change.Yan Fu studied in the UK in his early years,and he discovered that the reason for the development of the West lies in freedom,thus he introducing Western liberalism to the people in an attempt to achieve the prosperity of the country.In his later years,the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911 and the First World War made Yan Fu gradually realized the inadequacy of Western culture,and return to the tradition,but he never abandoned liberalism.After rethinking the culture,he advocated the combination of Chinese and Western,and "explained liberalism with the Lao Zhuang’ Theory".Finally he formed his liberalism of Chinese characteristics.The second part,this article mainly introduces the main content of Yan Fu’s view of freedom in his later years.Under the background of the society of China’s modern salvation,Yan Fu introduced freedom with evolution,emphasizing that freedom is the product of evolution,and calling on the people to stand up and evolve in self-reliance.At the same time,he explained the connotation of freedom with Chuang-Tzu ’s "zai you" and Yang Zhu’s "for me",reiterated the affirmation and attention to individual freedom.In addition,Yan Fu puts forward the argument that "freedom is the body and democracy is the use",and advocates the realization of freedom through the implementation of democratic politics.However,the wisdom of the people is not open,which is not conducive to the realization of freedom and democracy.Therefore,he emphasizes cultivating the people’s wisdom,morality,and people’s strength.After the improvement of the quality of the people,they will implement democracy,take a path of gradual change,and gradually realize freedom.It can be seen that Yan Fu’s concept of freedom is based on China’s specific national conditions.The third part I will make an overall analysis of Yan Fu’s view of freedom in his later years,and discusses the significance of his view of freedom in his later years.The article mainly discusses from two aspects: the first aspect is to explore the era significance of Yan Fu’s view of freedom in his later years,that is,his concept of freedom in his later years not only replies to his concept of freedom,but also seeks a way out for China at that time,reflecting his patriotic sentiment;the second aspect is to explore the cultural significance of his view of freedom in his later years.Yan Fu combined the Western philosophy with the Chinese tradition with Taoist philosophy and Western liberalism.This practice of practicing Westernization not only better introduces Western learning,but also promotes the renewal of traditional culture.In addition,Yan Fu is based on the local,seeking truth from facts,measuring Chinese and Western culture with a critical eye,emphasizing that the growth of culture needs to be adapted to local conditions.His cultural philosophy of using the West and seeking practicality reminds us of our attitude towards culture,that is,the length of the inch is small,the rule of the foot is short,and the cultures of each country have their own charms and defects.When we study foreign cultures,It is also necessary to tap the essence of the country’s culture,and at the same time based on the reality of China,in order to promote modernization under the guidance of culture and realize the prosperity of the country.