1898

Em 10 de julho de 1898, o líder reformista Kang Youwei 康有為 (1858–1927) enviou um memorial ao trono propondo que todas as academias e templos na China, com exceção daqueles incluídos nos registros de sacrifícios do estado (sidian 祀典), fossem transformados em escolas. O imperador Guangxu ficou tão satisfeito com a proposta que promulgou um edito (shangyu 上諭) no mesmo dia assumindo as palavras de Kang. Em três ocasiões nas semanas seguintes, o editorial do famoso diário de Xangai, o Shenbao 申報 discutiu o edital não como uma lei que visava facilitar a criação ex nihilo de uma rede nacional de escolas públicas, mas como a declaração de uma reforma religiosa, isto é, uma mudança na política religiosa que livraria a China dos cultos nos templos e de seus especialistas, budistas, taoístas e médiuns espirituais. De fato, foi assim, embora tanto a historiografia chinesa quanto a ocidental geralmente tenham negligenciado a apreciação da importância do elemento religioso nas chamadas reformas Wuxu (11 de junho a 21 de setembro de 1898) e nas políticas modernistas posteriores. Essa importância, como veremos, pode ser avaliada tanto nos escritos de alguns dos líderes reformistas quanto entre as populações preocupadas com as suas consequências práticas.

Swiss Enchantment

A vast and hyper-centralized Asian empire built on the premise of an alleged cultural homogeneity. A small, federalist Alpine state sustained by the ideal of coexistence of different languages and religions. The differences between China and Switzerland could not be wider, and it is therefore understandable that the Swiss confederacy has been fascinating Chinese intellectuals in both the modern and contemporary era. In the late Qing and early Republican period, Switzerland was mentioned by prominent figures like Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, who praised its democracy, and in the 1920s the Swiss political system became a source of inspiration for “provincial patriots” in Hunan or for Chinese federalists such as Chen Jiongming. The present paper intends to survey these political encounters and perceptions, focusing on the transformation of the Swiss institutional model and historical experience into a “political concept”, and on the reasons for its final rejection as an unrealistic utopia unsuited for China.

Study on three issues in Xiao Mang Cang Cang Zhai’ s Collection of letters from the Qing dynasty calligrapher

This paper contains three studies on the calligraphy contents Xiao Mang Cang Cang Zhai’s Collection of letters from the Qing dynasty calligrapher. The calligraphic spirit formation of Liu Yong and Kang Youwei; and the stele visit of literati in the Qing Dynasty.

Social Practices of Confucianism at the Early 20th Century: Kang Youwei and the “Heaven People”. Kang Youwei. Datong shu, Sixth Part, Fragments, Trans. from Chinese into Russian and Comm. by Dmitry E. Martynov

Readers are invited to the first Russian translation of extracts from the first chap­ter of the sixth part Datong shu(“The Book of the Great Unity”) by Kang Youwei (1858–1927). Kang Youwei proposed an original project for the radical liberation of humanity, in which the traditional mechanisms of family, marriage and gender inequality and coercion will be eliminated, and the state will take care of each person at every stage of his life. Kang Youwei adhered to the view that the main goal of a person's life is to achieve a state of happiness and satisfy all emerging needs. Congenital hedonism is in conflict with the need to reproduce. According to Kang Youwei, the institution of the family was created in ancient times and is the product of violence and suppression. In the future, free partnership will be re­lieved of the burdens of raising and educating future generations.

Five Visions of Yang Zhu Before He Became a Philosopher

This paper traces the consecutive emergence of five important portrayals of Yang Zhu before he became a philosopher in the Republic. In the late Zhou, he was portrayed as a rival in debate and a defender of physical or personal integrity. From the Han onward, he became part of a rhetorical trope based on Mencius’ portrayal. In the Wei Jin he was a prominent figure in his own right. The fourth portrayal, from the Song onward, contained reflections on his thought in the shadow of Mozi and Confucian orthodoxy. Finally, in the late Qing, Kang Youwei presented him as a minor political reformer responding to Confucius’ reform plans. These layers contributed in various ways to the nowadays almost exclusive presentation of Yang Zhu as a philosopher, a defender of social tolerance, autonomy, or individual freedom. The rich variety of the portrayals has too often been sacrificed for this relatively homogeneous portrayal.