This article aims to compare two interpretations of the emergence of new religious and moral concepts and beliefs in the period between the Shang (1600‒1046 BC) and the Western Zhou (1046‒771 BC) ...dynasties. It critically compares the theories of Xu Fuguan (1903‒1982) and Li Zehou (1930‒2021) on the process of humanization of Chinese religion. By emphasizing religious concepts such as Heaven, the Mandate of Heaven, the Way of Heaven on the one hand, and moral concepts such as virtue, reverence, and rituality on the other, the author illuminates the differences in each author’s interpretation of the era in which Chinese culture moved away from religion and into the realm of humanism and ethics. This article reveals the reasons for these differences, which stem from the profound divergences in the basic methods of Li and Xu. While Li’s elaboration is based on philosophical approaches, Xu Fuguan’s understanding is based on philological and cultural analyses of the Chinese history of ideas. The author argues that these mutual differences between their interpretations demonstrate the importance of understanding different methodological approaches, which in turn allows for a deeper multi-layered understanding of the process of humanization of Chinese religion.
Humanization of Chinese Religion Kosec, Maja Maria
Azijske študije (Spletna izd.),
09/2023, Volume:
11, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Open access
This article aims to compare two interpretations of the emergence of new religious and moral concepts and beliefs in the period between the Shang (1600‒1046 BC) and the Western Zhou (1046‒771 BC) ...dynasties. It critically compares the theories of Xu Fuguan (1903‒1982) and Li Zehou (1930‒2021) on the process of humanization of Chinese religion. By emphasizing religious concepts such as Heaven, the Mandate of Heaven, the Way of Heaven on the one hand, and moral concepts such as virtue, reverence, and rituality on the other, the author illuminates the differences in each author’s interpretation of the era in which Chinese culture moved away from religion and into the realm of humanism and ethics. This article reveals the reasons for these differences, which stem from the profound divergences in the basic methods of Li and Xu. While Li’s elaboration is based on philosophical approaches, Xu Fuguan’s understanding is based on philological and cultural analyses of the Chinese history of ideas. The author argues that these mutual differences between their interpretations demonstrate the importance of understanding different methodological approaches, which in turn allows for a deeper multi-layered understanding of the process of humanization of Chinese religion.
The article examines the research methodology of Chinese intellectual history developed by the Modern Confucian Xu Fuguan 徐復觀 (1904–1982). His novel methodological approach differed significantly ...from the methodology advocated by Fu Sinian 傅斯年 (1896–1950), the founder of the Institute of History and Philology of Academia Sinica in 1928, who advocated a rigorous adoption of Western scientific methodology in historical research, based exclusively on a philological perspective. Fu Sinian’s methodological approach, however, prevailed among Chinese historians in mainland China in the first half of the 20th century and in Taiwan after 1949. Xu Fuguan was highly critical of such an approach, considering it inadequate and inappropriate because it did not allow for conceptual interpretations on the one hand, and disregarded the contextualization and historical development of concepts and meanings on the other. Xu’s methodology is based on the application of the hermeneutic circle, which Xu calls dynamic and structural holism from a comparative perspective. In his methodology, a method of seeking embodied experience (zhui tiyan de fangfa 追體驗的方法) and intersubjectivenes (zhuti jianxing 主題間性) play a crucial role as they enable actualization of and communication with ancient thinkers in present times. However, Xu’s methodological approaches are also strikingly similar to Gadamer’s method of the fusion of horizons and Schleiermacher’s hermeneutic circle, which begs the question whether his critique of Fu’s adoption of Western methods was not based upon hypocritical grounds.
The article explores Xu Fuguan’s analysis and interpretation of the concept of qiyun shengdong 氣韻生動, which is considered to be one of the most important, fundamental and complex concepts in Chinese ...aesthetics and art. It was created by Xie He in the Wei Jin period (220–420 AD), which is marked as a turning point in the development of Chinese aesthetics. The complexity of the concept of qiyun shengdong is reflected in literary works, painting, calligraphy, and music, as well as in literary theory and the theory of painting. According to Xu Fuguan, qi refers to the external features of the artwork, while yun expresses the internal characteristics that are a matter of the human spirit. For Xu, shengdong signifies the manifestation and fusion of qi and yun in the artwork. Xu Fuguan claimed that the profound comprehension of this concept is fundamental for understanding the essence of Chinese art. The article also addresses the problem of translating this aesthetic concept into English and discusses the problem of its authenticity.
The article explores Xu Fuguan’s analysis and interpretation of the concept of qiyun shengdong 氣韻生動, which is considered to be one of the most important, fundamental and complex concepts in Chinese ...aesthetics and art. It was created by Xie He in the Wei Jin period (220–420 AD), which is marked as a turning point in the development of Chinese aesthetics. The complexity of the concept of qiyun shengdong is reflected in literary works, painting, calligraphy, and music, as well as in literary theory and the theory of painting. According to Xu Fuguan, qi refers to the external features of the artwork, while yun expresses the internal characteristics that are a matter of the human spirit. For Xu, shengdong signifies the manifestation and fusion of qi and yun in the artwork. Xu Fuguan claimed that the profound comprehension of this concept is fundamental for understanding the essence of Chinese art. The article also addresses the problem of translating this aesthetic concept into English and discusses the problem of its authenticity.
Straipsnyje aptariama, kaip Xu Fuguan interpretuoja keletą pagrindinių Zuangzi estetinės minties sąvokų. Xu nuomone, Zhuangzi estetinė mintis susijusi su estetiniu žmogaus gyvenimo būdu, kur grožis ...taikomas dao sričiai, kurioje žmonės gali išlaisvinti savo sielą ir džiaugtis „laisvu ir lengvu klajojimu“ (xiaoyaoyou 逍遙遊). Pasak Xu, tai yra aukščiausia ir gražiausia žmogaus egzistencijos sfera, įgaunanti išraišką mene. Zhuangzi sąvokas xinzhai心齋 ir zuowang 坐忘, kaip šio aukščiausio būties lygmens pasiekimo metodą, Xu laikė panašiomis į kai kurias XIX ir XX a. Vakarų fenomenologijos sąvokas. Nors Xu stengėsi atsargiai vesti paraleles tarp Vakarų filosofijos ir Zhuangzi mąstymo, jis manė esant jų panašumų, ypač klausimu, kodėl žmogaus sąmonė gali estetiškai suvokti pasaulį. Šio straipsnio tikslas yra atskleisti tokios lyginamosios prieigos, glūdinčios Xu estetinėje mintyje, metodologinius keblumus ir prieštaravimus.
The article investigates the political views of one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called second generation of Modern Confucianism, Xu Fuguan. It reveals his unique position within ...this intellectual movement. Even though all other adherents of Modern Confucianism were focused upon metaphysics and ontology rather than political theory, Xu believed that these lines of thought could not contribute enough to solving the various urgent social and political problems of modern China. In this regard, the present article focuses upon a critical analysis of Xu’s critique of the Chinese Communist Party. The author presents and evaluates his critique mainly with regard to his search for a resolution of the problematic and chaotic political and social situation of China during the first half of the 20th century. In conclusion, the author provides a critical evaluation of Xu’s social democratic thought and particularly of his attitude towards the Chinese Communist Party.
Članek se ukvarja s Xu Fuguanovo analizo in interpretacijo nekaterih osrednjih konceptov Zhuangzijeve filozofije, ki predstavljajo njegovo estetiko. Po Xuju se Zhuangzijeva estetika nanaša na ...estetski način bivanja človeka, pri čemer se lepota aplicira v sfero daota, v kateri so ljudje zmožni osvoboditi svojega duha in uživati način življenja, ki ga Zhuangzi označuje kot »svobodno in lahkotno tavanje« (xiaoyaoyou 逍遙遊). Po Xujevem mnenju je to najvišja in najlepša sfera človeškega bivanja in je kot taka izražena v umetnosti. Xu je v Zhuangzijevih konceptih postenja srčne zavesti (xinzhai 心齋) in sedenja v pozabi (zuowang 坐忘) kot dveh metodah za doseganje tega najvišjega nivoja bivanja videl nekatere podobnosti z določenimi koncepti zahodne fenomenologije devetnajstega in zgodnjega dvajsetega stoletja. Čeprav je bil Xu Fuguan pri orisu vzporednic med zahodno in Zhuangzijevo filozofijo zelo previden, je bil mnenja, da med njimi obstaja določena podobnost, še posebej pri vprašanju, zakaj in na kakšen način je človeška zavest (oziroma srčna zavest) zmožna dojemati svet estetsko. Članek želi pokazati nekatere metodološke probleme in nekonsistentnosti Xu Fuguanovega komparativnega pristopa, ki je temelj njegove teorije estetike.
The article introduces Fang Dongmei’s and Xu Fuguan’s ideas about aesthetics and examines their different methodological approaches. Fang Dongmei and Xu Fuguan are both representatives of the second ...generation of Modern Taiwanese Confucianism. The fundamental goal of this significant movement is to re-evaluate and re-examine the profound contents of Chinese thought in contemporary socio-political conditions through a dialogue with Western philosophy. The representatives of Modern Confucianism of the 20th century hoped that the encounter with the Western intellectual tradition would serve as a platform for modernization of Chinese culture on the one hand, and as a way to achieve the recognition of the West for the profound value of the Chinese intellectual tradition on the other. Fang Dongmei was one of the first representatives of this movement who was trained in Western and Chinese philosophy, and hence built his own philosophical theory on the encounter of both, while Xu Fuguan was one of the first who engaged in a dialogue with the West in the field of Chinese aesthetics. The present article illuminates the profound differences in their basic methods: while Fang Dongmei’s elaboration upon Chinese art and aesthetics is based on philosophical and poetic approaches, Xu Fuguan’s comprehension is grounded on philological, historical and cultural analyses. The author argues that such mutual differences between their ideas show their reciprocal complementarity, which in turn provides a more profound and clear understanding of the specific spirit of Chinese art.
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