The Spirit of the Chinese People

Name: The Spirit of the Chinese People
ISBN: 9787201107745

Gu Hongming / Li JingTianjin People's Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

3.9

Word count: 79K words
Chapters: 12
ISBN: 9787201107745

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Summary

The Spirit of the Chinese People is a work that systematically presents Gu Hongming's thought. Published in Beijing in 1915 and written in English, it seeks to show the value of Chinese civilization to the outside world and to call for a mutual fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. In 1915 Europe was sunk deep in the mire of the First World War, as if a great edifice were about to collapse, and for the first time in centuries Westerners engaged in a collective reflection on their own culture. Gu Hongming marshals extensive references, using the thought of Goethe, Carlyle and Arnold as a counterpoint, to expound the spiritual core of classical Confucianism to the West.

Editor's review

The value of this book lies not in offering a set of flawless conclusions about cultural comparison, but in presenting a mode of cross-cultural discourse within a specific historical situation. In 1915 Europe was mired in the First World War, and Western intellectuals engaged in a collective reflection on their own civilization. Gu Hongming wrote in English and drew extensively on Goethe, Carlyle and Arnold to expound the spiritual core of classical Confucianism to the West; this argumentative strategy, which uses Western thought as a counterpoint, is itself worth close reading. Seen today, some judgments in the book bear the distinct stamp of their era and a polemical coloration, and readers need not accept them wholesale, but can treat the book as a specimen for observing the collision of modern Chinese and Western thought. Li Jing's translation preserves a certain argumentative force in the text. Suitable for readers interested in modern intellectual history and Chinese-Western cultural comparison, who read it chapter by chapter in a quiet setting and ponder as they go, comparing it with the present; the reward will be more solid.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of modern Chinese-Western intellectual exchange who are willing to read original-style argumentation
Enthusiasts of intellectual history who want to understand Gu Hongming's cultural stance and his way of arguing
University teachers and students in cross-cultural studies who need historical textual cases
Ordinary readers who enjoy slow, careful reading and are capable of critical reading

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a systematic academic survey or a contemporary work of cultural theory
Those inclined to accept a single conclusion and unwilling to examine the argumentative context
Readers who only want quick takeaways and are used to fragmented reading

Reading tips

First read the translator's preface to understand the 1915 writing context and Gu Hongming's polemical targets, then proceed to the main text
After each chapter, note in one or two sentences the author's core argument and the Western thinkers cited, for easy review
Keep a distance from judgments in the book that bear the color of their era, mark them, and reflect on them together after finishing
Read alongside basic works on the history of modern Chinese-Western cultural exchange to avoid understanding the text in isolation

About the publisher

Tianjin People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1950

Tianjin People's Publishing House publishes across such fields as classic works, foreign literature, architecture, social culture and social sciences, with 749 relevant titles in the collection. In the areas of classics and scholarship, works such as Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua and Fei Xiaotong's From the Soil and Fertility and Reproduction reflect a sustained attention to social culture and classic texts of thought. Architectural books are represented by Liang Sicheng's Annotated Yingzao Fashi and A History of Chinese Architecture, showing an emphasis on architectural heritage and building traditions. In foreign literature, translations of Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don and Tolstoy's War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, through the work of translators such as Li Gang and Yu Dawei, form a substantial series of translated works. Overall, the press combines classic texts, scholarly works and fine translations, with a publishing character oriented toward humanistic depth and the dissemination of knowledge.

版权信息
序言
导论良民宗教
中国人的精神
中国的女性
中国的语言
约翰·史密斯在中国
大汉学家
汉学（一）
汉学（二）
暴民崇拜教或战争与出路
附录：《中国人的精神》英文稿（节选）

FAQ

This book was written in English; what is lost in reading a Chinese translation?

The original was written in English for Western readers, and its argumentative tone and rhetorical strategy differ from those of Chinese-language writing. The Chinese translation conveys the main arguments, but the nuances of wording and the manner of citation in the English original are hard to fully reproduce. If conditions permit, read key chapters alongside the English original to appreciate how Gu Hongming built his argument for Western readers.

Are the views in the book outdated today?

Some judgments bear the stamp of 1915 and a polemical exaggeration, and should not be taken as settled conclusions. But the book's value lies in showing how modern Chinese intellectuals responded to the impact of Western culture and how they used Western intellectual resources to expound Confucianism. Readers can treat it as material for intellectual history rather than as a final answer on cultural comparison.

Can I read it without a foundation in Confucianism?

You can, but it takes some patience. The book involves classical Confucian concepts and numerous citations of Western thinkers, and without background one may see only the conclusions. It is advisable to first learn some basic tenets of Confucius and Mencius, then read this book; understanding will be much smoother.

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About the author

Gu Hongming Author · China · 1857–1928

Gu Hongming (1857–1928), style name Tangsheng, courtesy name Hongming, was of Tong'an ancestry in Fujian and was born in Penang, Malaya. A scholar and translator of the late Qing and early Republic, he was proficient in English, German, French, Latin, Greek and other languages, and taught at Peking University. He sought to bridge China and the West through works in foreign languages, translating the Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean and the Great Learning into English and writing The Spirit of the Chinese People, in which he expounded Confucian ethics and the Chinese cultural spirit to Western readers. His writings combine scholarly argument with essays and reflections, often framed through East–West comparison, and are marked by a sharp, eloquent style that gave him considerable influence in the cultural debates of his time. Seventeen of his works are held here, mostly in culture and philosophy. Public information on the details of his life is limited.

Li Jing Author · China · 1971

Li Jing, born in 1971, is a Chinese writer, playwright and literary critic. She graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University with a master's degree in literature, formerly worked as an editor at Beijing Literature, and now lives in Beijing. Her writing spans drama, criticism and essays; she is the author of the plays Mr. Big and The Robe of Rong Yi, the criticism collections Catching the Wind and Must Offend the Audience, and the essay collection The Injured, and has received the Chinese Literature Media Award for Critic of the Year. Forty-two of her works are held in the collection, covering essays, foreign literature, medicine and popular science. Her Book Secret History won the 18th Wenjin Book Award, and she edited the Ren Hongyuan memorial volume One Man's Genesis and contributed to practical guides on medical checkups and alcohol use disorders.