A Study On The History Of Confucianism In Guangdong Province During Ming Dynasty

Before the Ming Dynasty,Guangxi and Guangdong were relatively backward areas in China,where the dissemination of Confucianism were relatively weak.However,social economy had developed rapidly,and a group of Confucian scholars with national influence had appeared in the ideological circles in Guangdong province since the Ming Dynasty.The prosperity of Confucianism in Guangdong had a complex internal relationship with the social development of Guangdong province in Ming Dynasty.Confucianism regarded Ren-Dao as its goal of academic pursuit,and the main way to realize Ren-Dao was the practice of rite.Is was especially extrude of Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties,which was manifested that Tao-Xue had become the mainstream of Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties,which lasted for 700 years.From the long duration,we could see the strong vitality of Tao-Xue in Chinese history.Liked the general situation of Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties,Confucianism in Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty took Tao-Xue as its mainstream and Shi-Xue as its branch.This paper focuses on the theory of Confucian scholars of various schools in Guangdong province and their practical experience of correcting error of emperor and serving people,and explores the historical role of Confucianism in the development of traditional Chinese society.Chapter one briefly describes the changes of Guangdong's internal economic and cultural patterns before the Ming Dynasty.During the Han Dynasty and the Six Dynasties,western and northern Guangdong became the economic center of Guangdong province because they were located in the main transport line which connected Lingnan and the central region;western Guangdong declined due to the transfer of the main transport lines to northern Guangdong during the Sui and Tang Dynasties;the Mid and Eastern Guangdong and Hainan were exploited on a large scale during the Song and Yuan Dynasties,and the economic center of Guangdong province completed the transfer from the Inland mountainous area to coastal region.The change of Guangdong's internal cultural center was also synchronized.Western Guangdong became the center of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty.Buddhism and Taoism flourished in the Mid and Northern Guangdong in the Six Dynasties,Sui and Tang Dynasties.Confucianism spread mainly inthe Mid Guangdong,Eastern Guangdong and Hainan in the Song Dynasty,which laid the foundation for the rise of Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty in three areas.Chapter two describes cultural and educational policies of the rulers in the initial Ming Dynasty and the initial rise of Confucianism in Guangdong in the early Ming Dynasty.After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty,the rulers attached great importance to Confucian education.Schools were set up in all parts of Guangdong,which provided sufficient conditions for the emergence of Confucian scholars in Guangdong.Although the dominant position of Zhu-Xue was gradually established in the initial Ming Dynasty,the thinkers paid attention to the mental work and hidden the development direction of Xin-Xue in the initial Ming Dynasty.Guangdong scholars Qiu Jun and Chen Xianzhang broke through Zhu Xue in the early Ming Dynasty.Qiu Jun no longer did the theoretical work of "Ming-Dao" but focused on the practice of "Xing-dao".Qiu Jun's practice of correcting error of emperor and carrying out ritual education showed that he actually turned to Shi-Xue.Chen Xianzhang put forward the academic purpose of cultivating the origin in silence,emphasizing the connotation of benevolence,whose disciples Lin Guang and Zhang Jian further developed the inner side of Baisha Xin-Xue,but both of them were quickly declined.The attitude of Baisha School to being officials shows that it was difficult for Baisha School to put Ren-Dao into practice.Chapter three elaborates how Ganquan School put the idea of Xin-Xue into practice.Zhan Ruoshui put forward the aim of recognizing heavenly principles everywhere.He reformed respect from Li-xue as his training effort,and put respect into practice through the theory of unification of mind and matter,thus putting Ren-Dao into practice.Zhan Ruoshui,through the practice of correcting error of emperor and clan construction,carried out respect in political affairs and social life.Both Pang Song and Tang Boyuan,disciples of Zhan Ruoshui,attempted to overcome the emptiness of Wang-Xue.Pang Song combined Ganquan Xin-Xue with Wang-Xue,while Tang Boyuan criticized Wang-Xue with Ganquan Xin-xue.From Chen Xianzhang to Zhan Ruoshui,the theory of Xin-Xue presented a logical development process.Chapter four describes the theory and practice of Wang-Xue in Guangdong.Wang Yangming put forward the tenets of the unity of knowledge and practice and practising conscience.His learning is simple and integrated,which realized the unity of Ming-Dao and Xing-Dao in theory,and promoted the understanding of Ren-Dao to a theoretical level.Fang Xianfu,Xue Kan and Yang Qiyuan were the most prominent postgraduates of Wang Yangming in Guangdong.Fang Xianfu put forward knowing fundamental as the purpose of learning,but did not attach importance to affair in his theoretical structure.In the Great Ritual Discussions at the beginning of Jiajing,Fang Xianfu applied the theory of mind to the discussion of rite,took the ritual system fitting to feeling as the theoretical basis.Xue Kan takes Gewu as the core of his study,but strengthened the empty side of ontology of Wang-Xue.Gewu became more empty in his later years.Xue Kan developed theory of Provincial Treaty from Wang Yangming as the main way to implement Ren-Dao.YangQiyuan emphatically elaborated the connotation of the heart of the pure child and used it to implement the moral values of filial piety,fraternal duty and compassion,but integrated Buddhism and Taoism to eliminate the efforts of Confucian moral cultivation in theory.The fifth chapter discusses the thoughts of Zhu-Xue scholars in Guangdong in Ming Dynasty and the main ways to promote ritual education of Zhu Xi.Huo Tao exerted Zhu Xue's efforts of cultivation of respect with respectful residence and put it into affair through rites.He insisted on the patriarchal order as the basis of rite in the Great Ritual Discussions and devoted himself to the institutionalization of clan.Huang Zuo takes Bowen Yueli as his aim,and his way of carrying out ritual education was mainly the institutional design of Provincial Treaty.Huo Tao and Huang Zuo respectively put the principles of Family Rites and Supplementary Provincial Treaty of Lv from Zhu Xi into social life in the form of social system,which was their promotion of ritual education of Zhu-Xi.Chapter Six describes the theory and practice of Shi-Xue in Guangdong in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.Chen Jian defended Zhu Xue and refuted the theory of Xin-Xue,but abandoned the discussion of ontological issues and focused on Xing-Dao,and preferred to study the realistic problems of the country,turning to the Shi-Xue of the business plan.Hairui's theory of nourishing gas had shaped his firm moral personality,and his theory of unifying all things has cultivated his sense of responsibility to the public.The main way of Xing-Dao was social economic reform.Although Ye Chunji inherited Ganquan Xin-Xue,his academic focus shifted to the implementation of social and economic reform,and the implementation of Ren-Dao in the form of the implementation of Provincial Treaty.Generally speaking,Shi-Xue was closely related to Tao-Xue.It accepted the interpretation of Tao-Xue at the level of Ming-Dao instead of making theoretical discussions,and turned its academic focus to Xing-Dao.Instead of promoting ethical values,it devoted itself to exploring practical solutions to political and economic problems.In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties,Confucians in Guangdong basically adhered to the guideline of Shi-Xue of statecraft with literature.The seventh chapter discusses the Characteristics of Confucianism in Guangdong Province during Ming Dynasty,and accounts the historical influence of Confucianism in Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty.As far as the group of Confucian scholars in Guangdong in Ming Dynasty,the achievements that Tao-Xue implemented ritual education in underlying society were more outstanding,while the achievements that Shi-Xue carried out political practice of correcting error of emperor were more successful.Tao-Xue took the promotion of ritual education as the main way of Xing-Dao.Ritual education took the mental cultivation as its foundation,took clan and Provincial Treaty as its main form,implemented the Confucian values in social life,laid the foundation for people to settle down their pursuit and improved their comprehensive quality,and realized the social development on the basis of the improvement of the quality of the people,which was very prominent in the Mid and Eastern Guangdong.Shi-Xue also attached greatimportance to social construction,but focused on the ritual system to manage society,ritual education was difficult to carry out in depth,and society could not sustain development,which could be seen in Hainan.The implementation of ritual education not only realized the unity of social customs between Guangdong and the whole country,but also the Confucian cultural value system dominated social life.Guangdong scholars and other provincial scholars jointly created trend of Xin-Xue in the Ming Dynasty,so as to integrate into the central dynasty in the deep ideological and cultural level.The achievements of Confucianism in Guangdong province in Ming Dynasty still played an important role in Qing Dynasty,mainly manifested in Kang Youwei's inheritance of Xin-Xue.Kang Youwei institutionalized the concept of Xin-Xue.he regarded Confucianism an the national soul and promoted to the status of the national religion as the fundamental way to save the country in his later years.The conclusion of this paper is that Confucianism in Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty showed a strong power in the process of transforming the local society in Guangdong,in which ritual education plaid a key role.Ritual education was the essence of Confucianism.The cultural value system constructed by ritual education provided an internal motivation for the development of society in Guangdong.This was the result that Confucian Ren-Dao carried out into the society.Tao-Xue fully plaid the essence of Confucian ritual education.Tao-Xue implemented the moral value of Confucianism by ritual education,shaped the personality of the people,rebuild the social structure,and thus realized the transformation of people themselves and society.In the process of reforming society,the theoretical innovation of Confucianism was still indispensable.How to explain the value concept of Confucianism to meet the needs of people in different cultures,required scholars to absorb local ideology resources.In this respect,Tao-Xue had obvious advantages.In the early Ming Dynasty,Chen Xianzhang absorbed the theories of Buddhism and Taoism too much,and at the same time he created Xin-Xue,also made the moral value of Confucianism biased.In the mid-Ming Dynasty,the scholars of Wang-Xue represented by Zhan Ruoshui corrected Baisha Xin-Xue and put the moral value of Confucianism into practice,which was manifested in the practice of respect in social life.At the same time,the function of Wang Xue and Ganquan Xin-Xue was similar.The scholars of Li-Xue represented by Huo Tao and Huang Zuo put moral values into practice in the form of institutionalization in social life.In the middle and late Ming Dynasty,because of the deepening of the political and economic crisis of the country and the intensification of social contradictions,Shi-Xue gradually rose,transformed to modern times.From the general situation of Confucianism in Guangdong in Ming Dynasty,Tao-xue embodied stronger ability in reforming society and improving people's comprehensive quality.It was not only the reason for the prosperity of Confucianism in Guangdong and the basic synchronization of social development in Ming Dynasty,but also the reason why Tao-Xue was the mainstream of Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties.