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Meta - Science And Society

Posted on:2016-03-20Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:J ZhuFull Text:PDF
GTID:1105330470469373Subject:Chinese history
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Neo-Confucianism, which started from North Song Dynasty, was the summit of Chinese ideological history. The creation and development of Neo-Confucianism showed the unique spiritual combination of traditional Chinese cultures. Neo-Confucianism in Yuan Dynasty, which was based on keeping its features in Song Dynasty, produced new content and characteristics due to the development of society. The Mongols mastered the Central Plains after the establishment of Yuan Dynasty. Minorities replaced the Han and became the rulers of the country. Under the great influence of Han, the governors of Mongolia absorbed a lot of advanced cultures from Central Plains. After recognizing the ruling effect of Neo-Confucianism, Mongolian governors advocated Neo-Confucianism passionately. Meanwhile, ethnic conflicts and social contradictions co-existed in Yuan Dynasty, under which circumstances, Neo-Confucianists of Han and Minorities reformed the theory of Neo-Confucianism. Squire and scholars in a lower level of intellectuals,who were forbidden to the central bureaucratic group, applied Neo-Confucianism to social practices and integrated Neo-Confucianism into daily life. Neo-Confucianism achieved its socialization and became an official ideology in Yuan Dynasty and deeply influencing further development of Neo-Confucianism. This article,in attempt to make the relationship of Yuan’s society and Neo-confucianism as a core, elaborates both some special effects and the reasons of Neo-confucianism on the development of Yuan’s society, which were inluenced by Yuan’s society. Finally,it reveals the complex and subtle interactive relationship between Yuan’s Neo-confucianism and its society.The structure and contents of this article are as follows.Chapter one investigates the development of the society before Neo-Confucianism’s influence on Yuan Dynasty. The survey of general situation of political, economical and cultural aspects during Song Dynasty,Jin Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty provided some historical evidences to the appearance and development of Neo-Confucianism in Yuan Dynasty. Social change from Song to Yuan may help to introduce the attitude of changing the minority rulers of Neo-Confucianism. The importance of Han culture was realized by Mongolian rulers. There are some change of the attitude from the rejection in the ruling period of Genghis Khan to acceptance of Kublai Khan. Neo-Confucianism received some supports in the ruling period of Yuan Renzong and at last became the official academic with the renaissance of imperial examination.Chapter two discusses the development of Chu-Hsi’s disciple in the Yuan Dynasty. According to the analysis of many Neo-Confucianists like Zhao Fu, Yao Shu, Xu Heng, Liu Yin, Bei Shan school and Xin An school, the contribution and innovation of Chu-Hsi’s disciple in Confucian orthodoxy, ontology and some theories of mind and humanity were discovered.Chapter three illustrates the continuation of Lu’s knowledge and the tendancy of harmonizing of Zhu and Lu. Despite the development of Zhu’s knowledge and Lu’s knowledge did not disappear but gained the difficult inheritance by efforts of Lu’s disciple. At the same time, some scholars from Zhu’s knowledge and Lu’s knowledge broke the parochial prejudice by the introspection of difference between Zhu and Lu and declared the thoughts which combine the view points of Zhu and Lu. This is a complex situation of Neo-Confucianism development which represents the new characteristic of Neo-Confucianism development in the Yuan Dynasty.Chapter four focused on Neo-Confucianists from Minority of the Yuan Dynasty which was built by the Minority. It’s tolerant national policy that made by many intellects from Minority, who received Han’s education. Many scholars from Mongolia, the Huis and Western Regions were deeply attracted by Neo-Confucianism during the process of cultural collision. They had original opinions on theory of mind and universal truth and added distinctive features of Minority to Neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism in the Yuan Dynasty reflected the cultural identity and cultural blending dominated by national amalgamation.Chapter five explores Neo-Confucianism’s influence on the lower class. Secularization of Neo-Confucianism in the Yuan Dynasty was a main difference from that in the Song Dynasty. Neo-Confucianism permeated into every aspect of the daily life in the Yuan society. Gentries and Confucianists who were unable to get access to the government found their ways in lower class to fulfill their ideals. By reforming lineage and setting village regulations, gentries in Yuan tried to build the stable blood ties and showed ritual orders everywhere, which perfectly satisfied the conceptions of social orders from Neo-Confucianists in Song Dynasty. Confucian scholars wrote books and set up their theories which made Confucian ideas root in the field of literature and history. Some of Confucian scholars gave lectures at academies and spread Neo-Confucian ideas to the public. There were also some Confucian scholars who creating Zaju. Actions of Neo-Confucian scholars affected the structure and development of the Yuan society deeply.Neo-Confucianism exhibited distinctive features under the influence of specific social conditions of Yuan. Just as Yuan is an indispensable part in Chinese history, Neo-Confucianism is an indispensable part of the history of Neo-Confucianism.
Keywords/Search Tags:Yuan Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism, Society, Officialization, Emperor, Confucian scholars, National minority, Gentry
PDF Full Text Request
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