The Systematic Learning About The Spring And Autumn Annals And The Culture Type In Song Dynasty

The study of Confucian classics is principal academic kind in Chinesetraditional society. Among the study of Confucian classics, the systematic learningabout the spring and autumn annals is the significant one, especially in Song dynasty.So, we can start with the study of the systematic learning about the spring andautumn annals in Song dynasty if we want to research the influence of the study ofConfucian classics upon Chinese tradition society. Actually, from Tang to Songdynasty, the political system had changed from nobleman's to authority's; theeconomic system had changed from monarch's to landlord's; the state policy haschanged from local autonomy and giving preferential treatment to military, to centralgovern and giving preferential treatment to literators, the national situation also hadchanged from prosperous to decadent. Although these great changes didn't bring thereform of the social principal character, they were sufficient to convert the culturetype. In fact, the culture type in Tang dynasty which has been adopted other nation'sadvantages had passed through the quantitative change which occurred at the periodof mid-Tang dynasty, yet in the Zhao dynasty, this culture type has been turn into akind of nation-oriented culture—the culture type in Song dynasty. The culture type inSong dynasty is completely mature one in Chinese cultural history, then based on thisculture type, the research on the relationship between the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals in Song dynasty and the other cultural form (such as:politics, philosophy, literature, the science of history etc.), will be more convincingthan before. Briefly, we can have a view of Chinese study of Confucian classicsthrough the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals in Song dynasty,we can also see something about Chinese culture from the culture type in Songdynasty, then through the relationship between the systematic learning about thespring and autumn annals and culture type in Song dynasty, we can find therelationship between Chinese study of Confucian classics and culture.In this dissertation, not only the macroscopic research will be appeared, but alsothe microcosmic demonstration will be used. In order to deeply research on therelationship between the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals andculture type in Song dynasty, this dissertation will take analyze by vertical andhorizontal way. At the first part of this dissertation, writer aimed to analyze thedevelopment course of the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annalsunder the background of the culture type in Song dynasty, and divided it into fourstages: the earlier and medium term of Northern Song, the later term of NorthernSong and the beginning of Southern Song, the earlier and medium term of SouthernSong, the later and terminal term of Southern Song. At the earlier and medium termof Northern Song, with the motion of Confucianism renaissance and the reformationof the study of Confucian classics, the research on Confucianism had been graduallyseparated from the exegesis of Han-Tang dynasty and started out a kind of newacademic form-the learning of argumentation. The scholar in this term either digestedthe previous three commentaries or abandoned them for the purpose of putting upnew exegesis or explanation. At the later term of Northern Song and the beginning ofSouthern Song, Scholars were inclined to explain the spring and autumn annalsaccording to the political situation. At the earlier and medium period of SouthernSong, it gradually became to its shape for the works of Neo-Confucianism, and thescience of history was very prosperous. Influenced by the cultural background, theresearchers attached much importance to the interactive penetration of the study of Confucian classics and the history of science. At the later of southern Song, thenational situation declined, the works of Neo-Confucianism was strongly worshipedby the nation. Same as the ossification of the works of Neo-Confucianism, thesystematic learning about the spring and autumn annals gradually lost its bloom andbegan to decline.After the research of the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annalsin Song dynasty through a vertical way, this dissertation was concentrated on theresearch through a horizontal way and discussed the interrelation between thesystematic learning about the spring and autumn annals in Song dynasty and thepolitics, the works of Neo-Confucianism, literature, the science of history which wereunder the background of the culture type in Song dynasty.Firstly, the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals in Songdynasty was closely connected with the politics. At first, the systematic learningabout the spring and autumn annals was deeply influenced by the politics, therebythe result was that the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals wasexplained in a political way. It's worthy of noticed that the consciousness of resistingforeign aggression which was advocated by the scholar was corresponded with therealistic political need in Zhao-song dynasty, thus this correspondence inspired thenation-oriented consciousness. With the nation-oriented consciousness, the people inSong dynasty repulsed the foreign aggression as well as its culture and ideology, atlast the people in Song dynasty created their nation-oriented culture—the culturetype in Song dynasty. In some degree, the national consciousness of the culture typein Song dynasty was inspired by mutual absorption between the systematic learningabout the spring and autumn annals and the politics.Secondly, as for the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals andthe works of Neo-Confucianism, they digested each other actively. At first, the worksof Neo-Confucianism affected the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals. In reverse, the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annalspromoted the development of the works of Neo-Confucianism. The mergence of the systematic leaming about the spring and autumn annals and the works ofNeo-Confucianism strengthened the social custom of esteeming ethics, created thespirit of esteeming ethics with the character of the culture type in Song dynasty.Thirdly, as for the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals andliterature, it also presented a sign of mutual penetration between them. Firstly, theliterature concept, consciousness in Song dynasty penetrated into the systematiclearning about the spring and autumn annals. If the literature's impact upon thesystematic learning about the spring and autumn annals was not evident, then theimpact upon the literature from the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals was very obvious. Above all, this impact presented that the poetics criticismused for reference of the style of the spring and autumn annals. Secondly, this impactalso presented that the essay creation used for reference of the style of the spring andautumn annals. The literature was the most flourishing artistic form under the culturetype in Song dynasty, the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annalswas the most influential academic subject, they digested each other actively. Thesystematic learning about the spring and autumn annals used for reference of visualangle from literature, on the other hand, literature absorbed the style of the spring andautumn annals. In fact, the interactive penetration between the systematic learningabout the spring and autumn annals and literature was an embodiment of the creativespirit of human beings in Song dynasty. Generally speaking, with this creative spirit,the human beings in Song dynasty created a new cultural pattern---the culture type inSong dynasty which was much different from the one in Tang dynasty. We could saythat the interactive penetration between the systematic learning about the spring andautumn annals and literature not only was an embodiment of the creative spirit ofhuman beings in Song dynasty, but also educated the creative spirit.Fourthly, the relation of the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals and the science of history presented the trend of mutual digestion. At first, thescience of history influenced the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals, the influence embodied not only the adaptation of historical works from the Confucian classics, but also the historical explanation of the Confucian classics.Secondly, the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annals had evidentimpact on the science of history, the impact presented that scholars adopted the styleof the spring and autumn annals to write historical works.Actually, the mutual digestion of the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals and the science of history was an embodiment of mergence spirit from theculture type in Song dynasty. In fact, among Chinese traditional systematic learning,the study of Confucian classics and the history of science were the most important,the interactive penetration of them was very helpful for the Chinese traditionalsociety.Shortly, the interactive absorption between the systematic learning about thespring and autumn annals and the politics aroused the nation consciousness, whilethe mutual digestion between the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals and the works of Neo-Confucianism created the spirit of esteeming ethics. Atthe same time, the interactive absorption between the systematic learning about thespring and autumn annals and the literature, the history of science was superexcellentembodiment of creative spirit and mergence spirit from the culture type in Songdynasty. It was no doubt, the national consciousness and the spirit of esteeming ethicswere the key ideas of the culture type in Song dynasty, while the creative spirit andmergence spirit were notable characteristic and the inherent driving force. All of thesewere closely connected with the systematic learning about the spring and autumnannals, so we could say the systematic learning about the spring and autumn annalswas very helpful for the naissance of the culture type in Song dynasty.Of course, we should pay much attention to another trend that the systematiclearning about the spring and autumn annals was deeply influenced by the culturetype in Song dynasty. We could say the background of the culture type in Songdynasty in some degree lead to holistic characteristic of the systematic learning aboutthe spring and autumn annals.