Week 3 The Intellectuals

Transcription

1 Week 3 The Intellectuals

2 Ruan Yuan, , age 44, (1808), Governor of Zhejiang Source, Bai du, entry 阮元,

3 Ruan Yuan s Civil Service Examination life From Yangzhou, Jiangsu prosperous lower Yangzi city, thriving intellectual life Educated by his mother and father at home; and then followed a teacher Age 19, married Age 21, passed the county exam, gain a place in provincial intellectual circle Age 22, passed the provincial exam; moved to Beijing joining the metropolitan intellectuals Age 25 (1789), Passed metropolitan / palace exam, starting his scholar official life

4 Ruan Yuan s scholar official career Appointed to the Hanlin Academy (emperor s think tank, best position for new optimus closer to power centre; networking. Commissioner of Education of Shandong (1793-5) and of Zhejiang (1797-8) Governor of Zhejiang ( ), of Hunan, of Zhejiang(1807-9), and of Jiangxi ( ) Governor General of Grain Transportation ( ), of Guangdong and Guangxi ( ), and of Yunnan and Guaizhou, ( ) Guardian of the heir apparent (1835) Major English book on Ruan Yuan--Wei, Betty Peh-T i. Ruan Yuan, : The Life And Work of a Major Scholar-Official in Nineteenth-Century China Before the Opium War. Hong Kong University Press, 2006

5 Ruan s career journey (red); comparing it to Liu Dapeng s (green)

6 Ruan Yuan, years old (1826), from the Chinese book 西湖史话 p177 Governor General of Guangdong and Guangxi

7 Ruan Yuan Source, Bai du, entry 阮元

8 Ruan Yuan s calligraphy in Semi-cursive Scrip Source, Bai du, entry 阮元

9 Ruan Yuan s calligraphy; in Small Seal Script Source, Bai du, entry 阮元

10 Ruan Yuan poetry collection Source, Bai du, entry 阮元

11 Claimed to be seal and ink pot of Ruan Yuan Sources: totem95 blogspot (entry 阮元作積古齋藏書印辨證 ; and artrone.net, (entry, 清阮元藏达受铭月影木梅花端砚

12 Ruan Yuan s scholar official life / work Governing / administration (mostly done by his personal assistance, advisors, formal or informal members of his office) Hosting banquet and gatherings and other social networking activities--host Teaching, writing, editing, publishing books on Confucian classics Projects In Shandong establish Zheng Xuan shrine ( Han Confucian, scholar hero of Han Learning) In Hangzhou, commissioned a dictionary of the Classics (Jinji zuangu) 1800, in Hangzhou established the academy Gujing Jingshe (advanced studies of Confucian classics) , reprinting of the Commentaries and Sub-commentaries to the Thirteen Classics. 1817, Xuehaitang Academy (The Sea of Learning Hall)--advanced studies of Confucian classics

13 诂经精舍 Gujing Jingshe ( ) (advanced studies of Confucian classics) Source: rufodao.qq.com, entry 詁经精舍

14 Xuiehaitang, The Sea of Learning Hall 1824 to late 1890s

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16 Establishing of the Sea of Learning Hall (Xuehaitang) Being Governor General: the most powerful person of the region Gathering of scholars: organised local scholars in compiling a new edition of the Guandong Provincial Gazetteer (published in 1822 ) o The scholars gathered was the base for establishing the Xuehaitang. Existing Confucian academies: Yuexiu, Yueihua, Yangcheng Why a new Academy? o Advance learning of Confucianism, not for focusing on CSE as others were. o For bring the Han Leaning (Evidential scholarship) which was popular in the lower Yangzi area (Jiangnan) to the Canton region. o But still, eclectic curriculum (Han learning and Song learning combining together) as Governor General, being inclusive was important.

17 Establishing of the Sea of Learning Hall (Xuehaitang) Location, location, location: where to establish it? Physical environment important not in city centre, scenery consideration, quiet and remote 1825 permanent site construction completed (would close in late 1890s) Organisation: 8 co-directors (rather than one director as usually did) Source of income: donation; Ruan 4000 taels donation; rent on shops in the New City of Guangzhou; reclaimed sands in Panyu and Nahai; interest deposited with merchants financial endowment Main participants: migrant elites, newly settled in Guangdong (from Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangshu, and counties of the region (including Hakka, the guest people) relocated and rising elites (money, mobility, flexibility, sociability participating in this project was their way into Canton high society

18 Establishing of the Sea of Learning Hall (Xuehaitang) Main teaching: Han Learning; not directly preparation for CSE obut still using exam papers as a way of learning (power of CSE regime) oemphasis on literature work, and cultivating plain yet stylish writing o advanced studies of Confucian classics, history, and literature (poetry in particular) Lecture and seminar (much more hierarchical interaction) on text interpretation; exams (2 rather than 6 times a year); seasonal festival gathering (such as mid-autumn festival [full moon]; birthday of its funder Ruan Yuan, and of Han scholar Zheng Xiuan [keep in mind] Other academic of Guangdong still learning and teaching in Song Learning and preparing for CSE complexity

19 Two major Schools of Confucianism in Qing Song Learning (Neo-Confucianism), lixue [rational scholarship] moral nature of the cosmos; rationalist and secular; rational ethical philosophy. Han Leaning (Evidential scholarship, kaozheng [search for evidence] evidence in the text of Confucian classics) Han dynasty closer to the Confucian time, the exegesis produced during this time closer to the real ideas of the sages. Scholarly work is to study classic philology through evidence in graphology, historical phonology, and text-based semantics, to find correct interpretation of the classics textual criticism. New Text School orally reestablished Confucian text after Qin s burning of books in Han Learning Old Text School books discovered in the walls of Confucius home possibly forgery

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21 Canton, (Guangzhou) 1830, Source: MIT visualizing Culture, Canton

22 Catnon, 1858, water colour by Lee Mum Une, Peabody Essex Museum, MIT Visualizing Cultures

23 The Sea of Learning Academy Source: Sohu.com, entry: 当年越秀山南麓学海堂 菊坡精舍 应元书院

24 The Sea of Learning Hall, Source, Xuehaitan zhi, p. 1

25 Source: Leiden University Libraries, Digital Collections, 1871

26 media-kitlv.nl

27 What have we learnt from Xuehaitang? How a person Ruan who succeeded in CSE lived his life, and built a college of advanced studies passing on the knowledge and the social norms. We gain a glimpse of what scholar official life was like: they were scholar and they were candidates of officials the elite of the society empowered by the CSE intellectual regime the scholar official class How local elites together with officials doing various projects publication, education, and academic activities. CSE was important; but Not everything is about CSE. Xuehaitang scholars were searching for scholarship that make sense to their life Some preferred Han Learning (evidential scholarship), others Song Learning (cosmology, self-cultivation) Circulation of Confucianism between regions: Jiangnan to Canton; by a high official, a devoted scholar. Conscious transplanting of Jiangnan style (which is also urban) of scholarship and literature to Guangdong. Schools of Neo-Confucianism Song Learning, and Han Learning

28 Scholarly Art works

29 Painting scroll, 1623, Xiang Shengmo ( ), Reading in Autumn Wood, British Museum

30 British Museum, (3D 動畫帶你飛進山水畫世界美妙意境令西方人驚艷稱奇 )

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32 Along the River During the Qingming Festival, scholar painters

33 Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival 清明上河圖 (14 分鐘 )

34 History s threshold concept Thinking Historically Engaging with the past on its own terms ; Unlocking the secrets of the past Contextualising: meaning and value exist in the community. By contextualise it, you bring it out. Think about complexity Think about changes over time Identify prime movers / significant forces Every object, every idea has a history Use critical thinking (sceptical interrogation) Learning / challenging the major arguments