Songshu Restoration Thought

Song Shu(1862-1910) was an enlighting thinker of modern China. He didn't succeed in his political life, but his reform thoughts was remarkable. In view of little research on him in historical field, based on rich historical data, this paper makes a systematic study about his reform thoughts in four stages.The first part focus on forming course and reasons of Song Shu's reform thoughts. On his reform thoughts, Letter to Li Zhongtang and Original Suggestions Written in His Study Room were initial form, as well as the revesed-book of the latter one became ripe. Comments in His Study Room built the theoretical foundation for his reform thoughts. His personal experience and his family influence were the subjective reasons, as well as the call of the time and society were the objective causes.The second part is about the theoretical basement of Song Shu's reform thoughts. Song Shu viewed the post Qin to late Qing Confucianism as doctrine of overt confucianists but covert legalists and the essence of Confucianism was popular in the west. This was the very deepest cause which made China fall behind. He thought China should deny the contemporary ruling neo-confucianism of Cheng and Zhu, value original confucism and study from the west which had got true meanings of Confucianism. This could compel China to develop. So at the angle of the Confucian classics he put up the theory of his reform thoughts that was to praise highly Confucianism but denying legalists, reviving Confucianism and. reforming institutions.The third part makes main contents of Song Shu's reform thoughts. It included politics, economy, culture and education as well as the emancipation of women and so on. In politics, he asked for reforming fedualautocratic system, setting up parliament, building democracy, reforming the civil service and making new laws. In economy, he recommended to develop agriculture, industry and commerce, national capitalism as well. In education, he suggested building many schools by parliament governing, applying compulsory education, establishing the best school to implement special education. At the same time he proposed to found parks, libraries reading-rooms and speeching-rooms to carry out indirect education. He also asked to prohibit binding women's feet and whoring prostitutes, but keeping freedom and equality of marriage.The fourth part makes the main characterics of Song Shu's reform thoughts. The first was to promote reform on conditions of respecting confucism, denying the legalists, reviving Confucianism and reforming institutions by classical Confucian. The second was to propose mediation on dealing with Chinese and western cultures, but fairly radical in political suggestions. The third was to seek running the country well and giving the people peace and security in his reform thoughts. The fourth was to have distinct characteristics of the time and nation.