Gu Yanwu (1613—1682), a native of Kunshan in Jiangsu, was originally named Jiang and styled Zhongqing. He passed the county-level imperial exam and chose to become a scholar during the Ming Dynasty. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Gu changed his given name to Yanwu due to his admiration for the conduct and character of Wang Yanwu, one of Wen Tianxiang’s students. At the same time, he re-styled himself as Ningren and adopted the pseudonym Jiang Shanyong. Gu was also honored as “Sir Tinglin” among scholars. The writer joined the Restoration Society and befriended with his fellow townsman Gui Zhuang. Due to his distinct frankness and integrity, people nicknamed the two friends as “Unique Gui and Uncommon Gu” (“Gui Qi Gu Guai”). When the Qing forces went south, Gu’s step-mother died for the Ming empire. Gu then took part in the armed resistance against the Qing empire in the area of Kunshan and Jiading. Once Emperor Tang established himself during the Southern Ming Dynasty, Gu quitted office as the minister in charge of the Ministry of National Defense. After the Ming empire was taken over and the Manchus founded the Qing Dynasty, Gu did not take any official position. During Emperor Kangxi’s reign, when recommended as a candidate for the civil-service exam known as Bo Xue Hong Ci (meaning “erudition and frankness with one’s advice”), he declined with resolution. He traveled to the north to conduct geological surveys and met people who were against the Qing court. Gu paid repeated visits to emperors’ tombs of the Ming Dynasty. By his later years, Gu had made trips to Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei and Shaanxi, etc. The writer died in Quwo of Shanxi. During his lifetime, Gu followed the motto “For the rise and fall of the country, every common man is responsible.” He stressed that a sound character should be the basis for one’s academic work. According to Gu Yanwu, the sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity and awareness of shame are the four cardinal virtues one should acquire. When engaged in academic work, he applied the principle that one should undo deeds that might bring about disgrace while learning widely and profoundly. When studying classic works, Gu valued textual criticism and argued that Pu Xue (meaning “practical, down-to-earth studies and teachings”) should take the place of Li Xue (meaning “studies and teachings of the universal principles”) which was influential during the Song and Ming Dynasties. Therefore, he was viewed as the founding father of the philology of the Qing Dynasty. Gu Yanwu, Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi were thus revered as the “Three Great Confucians in the Early Qing Dynasty.” Gu’s poetry and essays featured melancholy, profoundness, desolation and strong patriotism. His major works included Tinglin Wen Ji (meaning “a collection of essays written at Tinglin”) and Tinglin Shi Ji (meaning “a collection of poems written at Tinglin”). As a learned and prolific writer, Gu also authored the 100-volumed Tian Xia Jun Guo Li Bing Shu (meaning “a summary of advantages and disadvantages in administration of counties and countries”), Zhao Yu Zhi (meaning “a record of the whole territory”), Ri Zhi Lu (meaning “notes of knowledge acquired on a daily basis”), Yin Xue Wu Shu (meaning “a five-section book on the study of classic phonology”), and Jin Shi Wen Zi Ji (meaning “a record of inscriptions on bronzes and stone tablets from ancient times”), etc.
Search
