The Book of Great Harmony
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Summary
This is a utopian work by the modern thinker Kang Youwei, written during his exile, blending the Confucian ideal of Great Unity and the Gongyang theory of the Three Ages with Western civil rights, utopian socialism, and Buddhist-Daoist ideas of equality. In ten parts, it first laments the sufferings of the world caused by national boundaries, class, family, and private property, then proposes the path of "removing the nine boundaries" and envisions an age of Great Unity and peace: abolishing states, private property, and hierarchy, establishing a global public government, equality between men and women, public nurture and support, universal labor and sharing, and universal love for all beings. The author advocates gradual reform as the way to reach the ideal, criticizes feudal oppression, and is filled with compassionate concern for equality and the salvation of the world; it is an important document of late Qing reformist thought and left a systematic blueprint for modern utopian social ideals.
Editor's review
The Datong Shu is a book that should be read with a "map of intellectual history." Kang Youwei mixes the Confucian ideal of Great Unity and the Gongyang theory of the Three Ages with Western civil rights, utopian socialism, and Buddhist-Daoist ideas of equality; he first lists the sufferings of the world, then proposes "removing the nine boundaries" as the path to a peaceful world without states, private property, or hierarchy. Its appeal lies not in whether the plans are feasible but in the ambition of bringing all human suffering into a single framework for transformation. Its critique of feudal oppression and its call for equality between men and women still resonate today. Read it in the context of late Qing exile and reform, appreciating both its compassion and imagination and the limitations of its gradualist approach, and avoid taking the utopian blueprint as a practical program.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in modern Chinese intellectual history and reformist thought
- Humanities students studying utopian thought and social visions
- Thought enthusiasts concerned with issues such as gender equality and communal sharing
- Readers who need to understand the spiritual world of late Qing intellectuals
Not a good fit for
- Practical readers looking for workable social reform programs
- Readers impatient with speculative, programmatic texts
- Casual readers who want only light literature or historical stories
Reading tips
- Read the preface and table of contents first to grasp the ten-part structure and the overall program of "removing the nine boundaries," then select parts to read.
- Annotate as you read which ideas come from Confucianism and which from Western learning, sorting out the sources of thought.
- Read against the background of the late Qing reform movement to understand why the author advocated gradual reform rather than revolution.
- After finishing, write a short review distinguishing between "ideal values" and "feasibility of the program."
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序
- 甲部：入世界·观众苦
- 绪言：人有不忍之心
- 第一章：人生之苦
- 第二章：天灾之苦
- 第三章：人道之苦
- 第四章：人治之苦
- 第五章：人情之苦
- 第六章：人所尊尚之苦
- 乙部：去国界·合大地
- 第一章：有国之害
- 第二章：欲去国害必自弭兵破国界始
- 第三章：初设公议政府为大同之始
- 第四章：立公政府以统各国为大同之中
- 丙部：去级界·平民族
- 丁部：去种界·同人类
- 戊部：去形界·保独立
- 第一章：妇女之苦总论
- 第二章：论妇女之苦古今无救者
- 第三章：女子最有功于人道
- 第四章：论男女贵贱不在身体脑度
- 第五章：原女子被屈之由，本于繁衍人类之不得已
- 第六章：女为男私属，于是伸男抑女
- 第七章：抑女有害于立国传种，宜解禁变法，升同男子，乃合公理而益人种
- 第八章：女子升平独立之制
- 第九章：男女听立交好之约，量定限期，不得为夫妇
- 己部：去家界·为天民
- 第一章：总论
- 第二章：人本院
- 第三章：育婴院
- 第四章：小学院
- 第五章：中学院
- 第六章：大学院
- 第七章：恤贫院
- 第八章：医疾院
- 第九章：养老院
- 第十章：考终院
- 庚部：去产界·公生业
- 第一章：农不行大同则不能均产而有饥民
- 第二章：工不行大同则工党业主相争，将成国乱
- 第三章：商不行大同则人种生诈性而多余货以殄物
- 第四章：独农与公农之比
- 第五章：独商与公商之比
- 第六章：独工与公工之比
- 第七章：公农
- 第八章：公工
- 第九章：公商
- 第十章：总论欲行农工商之大同则在明男女人权始
- 辛部：去乱界·治太平
- 第一章：分地为百度
- 第二章：全地通同
- 第三章：地方分治以度为界
- 第四章：全地大同公政府政体
- 第五章：各度政府政体
- 第六章：公通
- 第七章：公辟
- 第八章：地方自治
- 第九章：公金行
- 第十章：竞美
- 第十一章：奖智
- 第十二章：奖仁
- 第十三章：学校
- 第十四章：刑措
- 第十五章：四禁
- 壬部：去类界·爱众生
- 癸部：去苦界·至极乐
- 第一章：治教以去苦求乐
- 第二章：居处、舟车、饮食、衣服及其他之乐
FAQ
When did Kang Youwei write the Datong Shu?
According to the commonly accepted account, the book was written during Kang Youwei's exile overseas, but the ideas had been brewing earlier, and the writing and revision took a long time. Readers need not fixate on a single year of completion but should focus on how it fused earlier ideas of Great Unity with the Western learning and socialist theories he encountered during exile.
What exactly does "removing the nine boundaries" mean?
The "nine boundaries" are nine kinds of boundaries Kang Youwei identified as causes of human suffering, including boundaries of nation, class, race, form, family, livelihood, disorder, kind, and suffering. He advocated removing them one by one to reach the age of Great Unity and peace. For the specific names and explanations, consult the original text of the edition you have.
Do the book's ideas still have meaning today?
Its specific institutional plans are mostly utopian, but its critique of hierarchical oppression and gender inequality, and its vision of bringing human suffering as a whole into consideration, still have value in intellectual history. Today it is better read as a sample of how modern China imagined a "better society" than as a program to be copied.
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About the author
Kang Youwei
Author · Chinese · 1858–1927
Kang Youwei (1858–1927), originally named Zuyi, courtesy name Guangsha, style name Changsu, was a native of Nanhai, Guangdong. A modern Chinese politician, thinker, educator, and calligrapher, he was a leader of the Hundred Days' Reform. His representative works include A Study of the Forged Classics of the Xin Dynasty, A Study of Confucius as a Reformer, and The Book of Great Unity. This collection includes 13 of his works, covering art, Eastern philosophy, classics, philosophical readings, literary appreciation, and culture. These range from his treatise on calligraphy, Guang Yizhou Shuangji, to The Book of Great Unity, which presents his vision of universal harmony, as well as lectures recording his travels in Europe. His writings are broad in scope and incisive in argument, combining intellectual enlightenment with scholarly inquiry, and are important texts for understanding late Qing thought and the reform movement.
