Gu Jiegang
Encyclopedia
Gu Jiegang (1893–1980) was a Chinese
historian who is known best for his seven volume work Gushi Bian (古史辨 "Debates on Ancient History"). He was a leading force in the Doubting Antiquity school
.
. As a result, the country during his early years was wrought with turmoil. During high school, Gu briefly joined a revolutionary group during the 1911 Revolution. However, he soon realized that he had "no personal aptitude for politics, and no ability in promoting great social movements". He developed an interest in history while being a student at Peking University
, and resolved to use a new historical narrative to calm his country's social and political turmoil.
According to Laurence Schneider, the "most persistent theme" in Gu's writings is "the central role of the intellectual in Chinese history, and the centrality of history to the Chinese intellectual". He attributed China's failure to modernize to opportunistic intellectuals who allied with the aristocracy, rather than pursuing truth. In order to restore China to greatness, Gu, along with his mentor Hu Shi, advocated a non-political role for Chinese intellectuals, against the emerging trend of Marxist histories.
To this end, Gu used textual criticism to challenge traditional Chinese historiography
. One example is the myth of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, a supposed golden age in China's antiquity that had scarcely been doubted up to the present. It is important to note that Gu's purpose in questioning the historicity of this myth was not only to rectify errors in understanding, but also to destroy the entire philosophy of history that revolved around looking back to this supposed golden age.
Gu is also known for his theory of Chinese diversity, as opposed to the idea of Chinese homogeneity, which is the main assumption of hanism. He states that there is no such thing as the Chinese national identity. This is a bold remark, considering the fact that he was living in a period of fundamental change and the period of pan-hanism in China.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
historian who is known best for his seven volume work Gushi Bian (古史辨 "Debates on Ancient History"). He was a leading force in the Doubting Antiquity school
Yigupai
The Yigupai refers to a group of scholars and writers who show doubts and uncertainty of antiquity in the Chinese academia starting during the New Culture Movement, . Most of their criticism concerns the authenticity of pre-Qin texts and deals with questions put forward by the past dynastic...
.
Biography
Gu Jiegang was born two years before China's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese WarFirst Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. As a result, the country during his early years was wrought with turmoil. During high school, Gu briefly joined a revolutionary group during the 1911 Revolution. However, he soon realized that he had "no personal aptitude for politics, and no ability in promoting great social movements". He developed an interest in history while being a student at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
, and resolved to use a new historical narrative to calm his country's social and political turmoil.
Historiography
Gu has been viewed as something of an enigma by many scholars. His work has been characterized as scientific and antitraditional, while at the same time showing pride in Chinese culture and believing that the Chinese identity would withstand modernization. The German scholar Ursula Richter characterized this discrepancy by labeling Gu "the traditional and yet modern scholar who was true to tradition also in that he 'obeyed yet resisted'".According to Laurence Schneider, the "most persistent theme" in Gu's writings is "the central role of the intellectual in Chinese history, and the centrality of history to the Chinese intellectual". He attributed China's failure to modernize to opportunistic intellectuals who allied with the aristocracy, rather than pursuing truth. In order to restore China to greatness, Gu, along with his mentor Hu Shi, advocated a non-political role for Chinese intellectuals, against the emerging trend of Marxist histories.
To this end, Gu used textual criticism to challenge traditional Chinese historiography
Chinese historiography
Chinese historiography refers to the study of methods and assumptions made in studying Chinese history.-History of Chinese Historians:Record of Chinese history dated back to the Shang Dynasty. The Classic of History, one of the Five Classics of Chinese classic texts is one of the earliest...
. One example is the myth of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, a supposed golden age in China's antiquity that had scarcely been doubted up to the present. It is important to note that Gu's purpose in questioning the historicity of this myth was not only to rectify errors in understanding, but also to destroy the entire philosophy of history that revolved around looking back to this supposed golden age.
Gu is also known for his theory of Chinese diversity, as opposed to the idea of Chinese homogeneity, which is the main assumption of hanism. He states that there is no such thing as the Chinese national identity. This is a bold remark, considering the fact that he was living in a period of fundamental change and the period of pan-hanism in China.
Further reading
- Richter, Ursula Richter, 'Obituary: Gu Jiegang (1893–1980)', The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 41, No. 2. (Feb., 1982), pp. 441–442.
- Schneider, Laurence A. Ku Chieh-kang and China’s New History: Nationalism and the Quest for Alternative Traditions. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1971.