Sources of Chinese Tradition

Sources of Chinese Tradition

From 1600 Through the Twentieth Century

For four decades Sources of Chinese Tradition has served to introduce Western readers to Chinese civilization as it has been seen through basic writings and historical documents of the Chinese themselves. Now in its second edition, revised and extended through Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin–era China, this classic volume remains unrivaled for its wide selection of source readings on history, society, and thought in the world's largest nation. Award-winning China scholar Wm. Theodore de Bary—who edited the first edition in 1960—and his coeditor Richard Lufrano have revised and updated the second volume of Sources to reflect the interactions of ideas, institutions, and historical events from the seventeenth century up to the present day.

Beginning with Qing civilization and continuing to contemporary times, volume II brings together key source texts from more than three centuries of Chinese history, with opening essays by noted China authorities providing context for readers not familiar with the period in question.

Here are just a few of the topics covered in this second volume of Sources of Chinese Tradition:

• Early Sino-Western contacts in the seventeenth century;

• Four centuries of Chinese reflections on differences between Eastern and Western civilizations;

• Nineteenth- and twentieth-century reform movements, with treatises on women's rights, modern science, and literary reform;

• Controversies over the place of Confucianism in modern Chinese society;

• The nationalist revolution—including readings from Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek;

• The communist revolution—with central writings by Mao Zedong;

• Works from contemporary China—featuring political essays from Deng Xiaoping and dissidents including Wei Jingsheng.

With more than two hundred selections in lucid, readable translation by today's most renowned experts on Chinese language and civilization, Sources of Chinese Tradition will continue to be recognized as the standard for source readings on Chinese civilization, an indispensable learning tool for scholars and students of Asian civilizations.
  • Contents
  • Untitled
  • Explanatory Note
  • {PART 5} The Maturation of Chinese Civilization and New Challenges to Chinese Tradition
    • Chapter 25: the Chinese Tradition in Retrospect
      • HUANG ZONGXI’S CRITIQUE OF THE CHINESE DYNASTIC SYSTEM
        • Waiting for the Dawn: a Plan for the Prince
      • LU LIULIANG’S RADICAL ORTHODOXY
        • Commentaries on the Four Books
      • LATE CONFUCIAN SCHOLARSHIP: WANG FUZHI
        • Cosmological Foundations
        • Wang’s “revision” of Orthodoxneo-Confucianism
        • Historical Trends
        • The Justification of Social and Cultural Divisions
        • The Preservation of Chinese Political and Cultural Integrity
      • GU YANWU, BEACON OF QING SCHOLARSHIP
        • True Learning: Broad Knowledge and a Sense of Shame
        • Preface to Record of the Search for Antiquities
        • On the Concentration of Authority at Court
        • On Bureaucratic Local Administration, ca. 1660
      • THE HAN LEARNING AND TEXT CRITICISM
        • Dai Zhen and Zhang Xuecheng
        • Dai Zhen’s Text-Critical Moral Philosophy
        • Letter to Shi Zhongming Concerning Scholarship
        • Letter in Reply to Advanced Scholar Peng Yunchu
        • Zhang Xuecheng’s Philosophy of History
          • Virtue in the Historian
          • Virtue in the Writer
          • Women’s Learning
        • Cui Shu and the Critical Spirit
          • Foreword to the Essentials of the Record of Beliefs Investigated
        • Han Learning and Western Learning
      • THE QING VERSION OF NEO-CONFUCIAN ORTHODOXY
        • Village Lectures and the Sacred Edict
          • The Sacred Edict
    • Chapter 26: Popular Values and Beliefs
      • PART ONE: ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
        • Ritual
          • A Procession on the Birthday of the Sanzong God
          • Temple Ceremonies on a God’s Birthday
          • The Great Sai Ritual of Zhangzi County, Shanxi
          • The Refining Fire Ritual of Shenze Village, Zhejiang
          • The Attack on Hell, a Popular Funeral Ritual
        • Opera
          • Mulian Rescues His Mother
          • Guo Ju Buries His Son
      • PART TWO: SOLO PERFORMANCE
        • Verse
          • Woman Huang Explicates the Diamond Sutra
          • Song of Guo Mountain
        • Prose
          • Sacred Edict Lecturing
        • Chantefable
          • The Precious Scroll [baojuan] on the Lord of the Stove
      • PART THREE: WRITTEN TEXTS
        • Scriptures
          • The True Scripture of the Great Emperor
        • Tracts
          • Selections from the Twenty-Four Exemplars of Filial Piety
    • Chapter 27: Chinese Responses Toearly Christian Contacts
      • Li Zhizao: Preface to the True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven
      • Xu Guangqi: a Memorial in Defense of the [Western] Teaching
      • YANG GUANGXIAN’S CRITIQUE OF CHRISTIANITY
        • Yang Guangxian: I Cannot Do Otherwise (Budeyi)
      • ZHANG XINGYAO AND THE INCULTURATION OF CHRISTIANITY
      • An examination of the similarities and differences between the Lord of Heaven teaching [Christianity] and the teaching of the Confucian scholars
    • Chapter 28: Chinese Statecraft and the Opening of Chinato the West
      • CHEN HONGMOU AND MID-QING STATECRAFT
        • On Substantive Learning
        • On Universal Education
        • On Women’s Education
        • On the Duties of An Official
        • On Governance by Local Elites
      • STATECRAFT IN THE GRAIN TRADE AND GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED BROKERAGES
        • A Memorial on Grain Prices, the Grain Trade, and Government Controlled Brokerages
      • HONG LIANGJI: ON IMPERIAL MALFEASANCE AND CHINA’S POPULATION PROBLEM
        • Letter to Prince Cheng Earnestly Discussing the Political Affairs of the Time, 1799
          • China’s Population Problem
        • The Deterioration of Local Government
          • The Roots of Rebellion
      • GONG ZIZHEN’S REFORMIST VISION
        • On the Lack of Moral Fiber Among Scholar-Officials
        • Institutional Paralysis and the Need for Reform
        • The Scholar-Teacher and Service to a Dynasty
          • Respect for the Guest
      • WEI YUAN AND CONFUCIAN PRACTICALITY
        • The Learning of Statecraft
          • Wei Yuan: Preface to Anthology of Qing Statecraft Writings(Huangchao Jingshi Wenbian)
        • Criteria for Anthology of Qing Statecraft Writings
        • Learning and the Role of Scholar-Officials
          • On Governance
            • The Pursuit of Profit
        • On Institutional Progress in History
        • On Merchants and Reform
          • On Taxation and the Merchants
          • On Reform of the Tribute-Rice Transport System, 1825
          • On Reform of the Salt Monopoly
      • THE WESTERN INTRUSION INTO CHINA
        • The Lesson of Lin Zexu
          • Letter to the English Ruler
          • Letter to Wu Zixu on the Need for Western Guns and Ships
      • WEI YUAN AND THE WEST
        • Preface to military history of the Qing Dynasty (Shengwu Jixu),1842
        • Preface to Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Countries (Haiguo Tuzhi)
    • Chapter 29: The Heavenly Kingdom of the Taipings
      • The Book of Heavenly Commandments (Tiantiao Shu)
        • A Primer in Verse (Youxue Shi)
      • THE TAIPING ECONOMIC PROGRAM
        • The Principles of the Heavenly Nature (Tianqing Daolishu)
  • {PART 6} Reform and Revolution
    • Chapter 30: Moderate Reform and the Self-Strengthening Movement
      • Feng Guifen: On the Manufacture of Foreign Weapons
      • On the Adoption of Western Learning
      • Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang: On Sending Young Men Abroad to Study
      • Zhang Zhidong: Exhortation to Learn
    • Chapter 31: Radical Reform at the End of the Qing
      • WANG TAO ON REFORM
      • YAN FU ON EVOLUTION AND PROGRESS
        • On Strength
      • KANG YOUWEI AND THE REFORM MOVEMENT
        • Confucius as a Reformer
          • The Three Ages
        • The Need for Reforming Institutions
          • The Grand Commonality
      • CONSERVATIVE REACTIONS
        • Chu Chengbo: Reforming Men’s Minds Comes Before Reforming Institutions
        • Zhu Yixin: Fourth Letter in Reply to Kang Youwei
        • Ye Dehui: the Superiority of China and Confucianism
      • TAN SITONG
        • The Study of Humanity
      • REFORM EDICT OF JANUARY 29, 1901
      • LIANG QICHAO
        • Renewing the People
        • The Meaning of “Renewing the People”
        • The Concept of the Nation
        • Liang Qichao and the New Press
      • ADVOCATES OF SCRIPT REFORM
        • Song Shu: Illiteracy in China
        • Lu Zhuangzhang’s Attempt at Romanization
        • Shen Xue’s Universal Script
        • Wang Zhao’s “Mandarin Letters”
      • ZHANG BINGLIN’S REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALISM
        • Letter Opposing Kang Youwei’s Views on Revolution
    • Chapter 32: The Nationalist Revolution
      • SUN YAT-SEN AND THE NATIONALIST REVOLUTION
      • HU HANMIN
        • The Six Principles of the People’s Report
      • SUN YAT-SEN
        • The Three People’s Principles
        • The Principle of Democracy
        • The People’s Livelihood
        • The Three Stages of Revolution
      • DEMOCRACY AND ABSOLUTISM: THE DEBATE OVER POLITICAL TUTELAGE
        • Luo Longji: What Kind of Political System Do We Want?
        • Jjiang Tingfu: “Revolution and Absolutism”
        • Hu Shi: “National Reconstruction and Absolutism”
      • CHIANG KAI-SHEK: NATIONALISM AND TRADITIONALISM
        • Chiang Kai-Shek: Essentials of the New Life Movement
        • China’s Destiny
      • JIANG JINGGUO (CHIANG CHING-KUO): THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN TAIWAN
        • The Evolution of Constitutional Democracy in Taiwan
        • Implementing “The Three People’s Principles”
    • Chapter 33: The New Culture Movement
      • THE ATTACK ON CONFUCIANISM
        • Chen Duxiu: “The Way of Confucius and Modern Life”
      • THE LITERARY REVOLUTION
        • Hu Shi: “A Preliminary Discussion of Literary Reform”
        • Chen Duxiu: “On Literary Revolution”
        • Hu Shi: “Constructive Literary Revolution—a Literature of National Speech”
      • THE DOUBTING OF ANTIQUITY
        • Gu Jiegang: Preface to Debates on Ancient History (1926)
      • A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
        • Chen Duxiu: The True Meaning of Life
        • Hu Shi: “Pragmatism”
      • THE DEBATE ON SCIENCE AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
        • Zhang Junmai: “The Philosophy of Life”
        • Ding Wenjiang: “Metaphysics and Science”
        • Wu Zhihui: “A New Concept of the Universe and Lifebased on a New Belief”
        • Hu Shi: Science and Philosophy of Life
      • THE CONTROVERSY OVER CHINESE AND WESTERN CULTURES
        • Liang Qichao: “Travel Impressions From Europe”
        • Liang Shuming: Chinese Civilization Vis-a`-Vis Eastern and Western Philosophies
        • Reconstructing the Community
        • Hu Shi: Our Attitude Toward Modern Western Civilization
        • Sa Mengwu, He Bingsong, and Others: “Declaration for Cultural Construction on a Chinese Basis”
        • Hu Shi: Criticism of the “Declaration for Cultural Constructionon a Chinese Basis”
      • RADICAL CRITIQUES OF TRADITIONAL SOCIETY
        • He Zhen: “What Women Should Know About Communism”
        • Women’s Revenge
        • Han Yi: “Destroying the Family”
    • Chapter 34: The Communist Revolution
      • THE SEED BED OF THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION: THE PEASANTRY AND THE ANARCHO-COMMUNIST MOVEMENT
        • Liu Shipei: “Anarchist Revolution and Peasant Revolution”
        • Li Dazhao: The Victory of Bolshevism
      • MAO’S REVOLUTIONARY DOCTRINE
        • Report on an Investigation of the Hunan Peasant Movement
        • The Question of Land Redistribution
        • The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party
          • The Mass Line
        • On New Democracy
        • The Dictatorship of the People’s Democracy
    • Chapter 35: Chinese Communist Praxis
      • Liu Shaoqi: How to be a Good Communist
      • MAO ZEDONG: THE RECTIFICATION CAMPAIGN
        • Report of the propaganda bureau of the central committee onthe Zhengfeng reform movement, april 1942
        • Wang Shiwei: “Wild Lily”
        • Liu Shaoqi: “On Inner-Party Struggle”
        • Mao Zedong: “Combat Liberalism”
        • Mao Zedong: “On Art and Literature”
        • Wang Shiwei: “Political Leaders, Artists”
        • Ding Ling: “Thoughts on March 8, 1942”
    • Chapter 36: The Mao Regime
      • ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC
        • Mao Zedong: “Leaning to One Side”
        • Mao Zedong: “Stalin is Our Commander”
        • Guo Moruo: Ode to Stalin—“Long Live Stalin” on His Seventieth Birthday, 1949
        • Ji Yun: “How China Proceeds with the Task of Industrialization” (1953)
        • Li Fuqun: “Report on the First Five-Year Plan for Development of the National Economy of the People’s Republic of China in 1953–1957, July 5 and 6, 1955”
      • CHANGES IN MID-COURSE
        • Mao Zedong: “The Question of Agricultural Cooperation,”July 31, 1955
        • Mao Zedong: “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People”
        • Liu Binyan: “A Higher Kind of Loyalty”
        • Intellectual Ppinions from the Hundred Flowers Period
        • Mao Zedong: Remarks at the Beidaihe Conference, August 1958
        • Peng Dehuai: “Letter of Opinion” to Mao Zedong on the Great Leap Forward, July 1959
        • Wu Han: “Hai Rui Scolds the Emperor,” June 19, 1959
      • THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION
        • The Sixteen Points: Guidelines for the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
        • Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong
        • Red Guard Memoirs
        • Wang Xizhe, Li Zhengtian, Chen Yiyang, Guo Hongzhi:“ the Li Yi Zhe Poster,” November 1974
  • {PART 7} The Return to Stability and Tradition
    • Chapter 37: Deng’s “Modernization” and Its Critics
      • THE TURN TO STABILITY AND MODERNIZATION
        • Zhou Enlai: “Report on the work of the government,” delivered on January 13, 1975, at the first session of the fourth national people’s congress of the people’s Republic of China
        • Communique´ of the third plenary session of the eleventh central committee of the Communist party of China, December 22, 1978
        • Yu Qiuli: “The Relationship Between Politics and Economics”
        • “Uphold the Four Basic Principles,” Speech by Deng Xiaoping, March 30, 1979
        • “Building Socialist Spiritual Civilization,” letter from Li Chang, vice president of the Chinese academy of sciences, to a member of the party central committee, December 1980
        • Office of the CCP Dehong Dai nationality and Qingbo autonomous Zhou committee: “several questions in strengthening and perfecting the job responsibility systems of agricultural production,” November 7, 1980
      • EARLY CRITIQUES OF THE DENG REGIME
        • Publication Statement, Beijing Spring Magazine, January 1979
        • Wei Jingsheng: the Fifth Modernization—Democracy, 1978
        • Democracy or New Dictatorship, Exploration, March 1979
        • Wall Poster from the April Fifth Forum
        • Hu Ping: “On Freedom of Speech,” Written for his successful 1980 Campaign to become Beijing university’s delegate to the Haidian District People’s Assembly
        • Wang Ruoshui: “Discussing the Question of Alienation”
        • Wang Ruoshui: “In Defense of Humanism”
      • ASSESSING THE NEW POLICIES
        • Deng Xiaoping: “Build Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”
        • Chen Yun: Speech given at the Chinese Communist national representative conference, September 23, 1985
      • NEW DEMANDS FOR CHANGE AND DEMOCRACY
        • Fang Lizhi: Democracy, Reform, and Modernization
        • Fang Lizhi: “Reform and Intellectuals,” Talk Given in 1986
        • Fang Lizhi: “The Social Responsibility of today’s intellectuals,”speech given at Beijing University, November 4, 1985
        • Li Xiaojiang: “Awakening of Women’s Consciousness”
      • THE NEW AUTHORITARIANISM
        • Wu Jiaxiang: “An Outline for Studying the New Authoritarianism,”May 1989
        • Rong Jian: “Does China need an Authoritarian political system in the course of modernization?” May 1989
        • Yan Jiaqi: “How China can become Prosperous”
    • Chapter 38: Twentieth-Century Christianity in China
      • MA XIANGBO
        • Religion and the State
        • Religion and Culture
      • ZHAO ZICHEN
        • Leadership and Citizenship Training
      • WU YAOZONG
        • The Present-Day Tragedy of Christianity
        • The Christian Manifesto
      • WANG MINGDAO
        • We, Because of Faith
      • WU JINGXIONG: CHRISTIANITY AND CHINESE TRADITION
        • Beyond East and West
        • The Lotus and the Mud
    • Chapter 39: Reopening the debate on Chinese Tradition
      • THE NEW CONFUCIANS
        • Xiong Shili
        • Manifesto for a Reappraisal of Sinology and the Reconstruction of Chinese Culture
      • MOU ZONGSAN’S CONFUCIAN PHILOSOPHY
        • The Sensitivity and Steadfastness of Humaneness (ren)
        • Feng Youlan: “China—An Ancient Nation with a New Mission”
      • THE CONTINUING CRITIQUE OF TRADITION
        • Bo Yang: “the Ugly Chinaman”
        • Sun Longji: “The Deep Structure of Chinese Culture”
        • Su Xiaokang and Wang Luxiang: “River Elegy,” A Television Documentary
        • Li Zehou: “A Reevaluation of Confucianism”
        • Gu Mu: Confucianism as the Essence of Chinese Tradition
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • Other Works in the Columbia Asian Studies Series

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