Historical Thoughts Of Qian Study

Qian Mu (1895-1990) is a famous historian in modem Chinese history. He produced a great deal of works in the field of historian researches. His works exhibit rich and profound thought in history study, and form a historical thought system of the national cultural life based on Confucianism, thus as a whole occupying a significant place in the research field of modern Chinese historical study and academic study.Qian Mu was bom at a time when China was acutely and profoundly changing into a modern society from traditional one under the strong impact of western culture. This historical background was the external prerequisite for the formation of Qian Mu's historical thought system of the national cultural life, since the epochal problem concerned with the prosperity or deterioration of Chinese culture directly stimulates and finally brings about his stepping on the road of saving the nation through academic studies focused on historical study. During the 1920's and 1930's, there appeared the great dispute on the cultures of China and the west, and prevailing crusade of whole westernization, and especially the national crisis aggravated with the aggression by Japan of China; and all these elements impelled Qian Mu to render comprehensive and profound contemplation and researches on Chinese history and culture. He implicitly proposed his idea of reviving traditional Chinese culture, severely criticized the historical nihilism of that time from historical and cultural perspectives, and engendered his primary outlook on national cultural development. With the outbreak of the World War 11 And the great change of China in 1949, Qian Mu obtained more profound understanding of Western culture and Chinese history, and began reflecting on the nature and characteristics of the dual cultures, and at last, established and consummated his historical thought system of the national cultural life. In his old age, Qian Mu consistently preached his historical thought In his academic life, he always tried to make his idea on the study of history in accordance with the historical changes and the development of the society while inheriting the traditional achievements in this field.It was the most fundamental problem that Chinese culture not only impacted but also inosculated with Western culture when China was changing into a modern society from traditional one. Thinkers and scholars all discussed how to revive traditional Chinese culture in modern Chinese history. Qian Mu studied the histories and cultures of China and the west all his life, in order to find out the historical evidences that Chinese culture would revive but also cure the drawbacks and crisis of the world culture caused by Western culture, His historical thought reflects vividly nationality and spint of that time.Qian Mu's historical thought is made up of the view on the life of national cultural history and the view on the life of humanistic historiography. The view of life national cultural history provides the academic foundation for his historical thought. The main contents of it include: History is national cultural life, hsin hsing is the noumenon of the life of history, Jen of Confucianism is the noumenon of hsin hsing too. History and culture are made up of three lays: material and economy, politics and custom, spirit and idea which evolve from low to high. Spirit and idea deriving from nature are the ultimate objective of history and culture' evolving. Human being is the center of history, the greats in history are the makers of history. The making of historyis actually the practising of the greats in history. History is the life stream that blends the past, the present and the future. The evolvement of history is the combination of permanence and movability, and the result of Li yu ho yi. Chinese history and culture are the most oldest and the greatest. Tien jen ho yi is the essence of Chinese culture. Chinese culture is moral and humanistic, it points out the goal of the evolvement of mankind's culture.The view of the life of humanistic...