| dc.description.abstract | Chuan Shan is one of the leading three Confucian scholars during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. Under the turbulent changes between the end of the Ming regime and the Manchu invasion, Chuan Shan had made an utmost effort to explore from historical experiences the contributing factors to the fall of the Ming Empire. He expected to find out the grounds for a lasting political stability, so he wrote two monumental literary critiques: Du Tongjian lun (Comments on reading Zi Zhi Tong Jian: The Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) and Song lun (Comments on the history of Song Dynasty). Starting from the discussion of Chuan Shan’s Xinxing Gongfu Theory (The theory on mind-cultivation), historical philosophy and other philosophical theories, this paper is aimed to depict the blueprint of Chuan Shan’s ideal political pattern.
“Institution” and “people” are the two pivotal elements of politics. As far as political institution is concerned, Chuan Shan believes “moral” is the key factor to the founding of a new dynasty, which also guarantees the empire’s prolonged stability. Such “moral” should not be defined in a narrow sense within the mind-cultivation. Instead, it is mainly about the “way” of whether the monarch on the throne can temporize with the objective current situation. The spirit of the “way” lies in how the emperor protects and cares for the subjects. As a result, Chuan Shan argues in his books about the following ideas: Junxianzhi (a system of the local administration in ancient China), Sanshengzhi (the Three Departments system developed in the Sui and Tang Dynasty), Shifu examination (the tradition of selecting officials by poetry and ode works), the loose legislation policy, the economic liberalism, the promotion of agriculture and so on. All of these concepts are suggested to favor the practical benefits of the general public. As far as the rulers are concerned, on the other hand, Chuan Shan succeeded to the Confucian idea of “Dezhi” (the guidelines of ruling by virtue), believing that human virtues are the foundation of a well-operated political system. Only “junzi＂ (a term to describe Confucius’ ideal person) can carry the burden because of their honorable integrity, reliable moral principles, and modesty, also because they are not vanity-oriented. Junzi surely knows when to act and when not to act. They would not blindly take up an official post merely for transient achievements at the cost of their reputation. Even when retiring from the world, they usually dedicate themselves to education and keep fighting for their moral ideals. The highest guiding principle with which Junzi governs a country is “jian” (simplicity). “Jian” means the ruler can grasp the general direction of the national development and completely trust and authorize his/her subordinates to deal with the other details. They approve of the rationality of the existing institution and manage to reform the society in a progressive manner, which would reduce the risks of a political chaos.
In terms of external political activities, such as ethical civilization and academic culture, the family ethics lays the ground for the political ethics. Politically, the monarch-subject relationship is maintained by “ming-yi” (the ethical naming code). Chuan Shan elaborates Confucius’ idea about “zheng-ming” (name-rectification), arguing that the “name” is a symbol of “yi” (justice or righteousness) rather than an unsubstantial title. Through “zheng-ming” can the social order be constructively stabilized. The content of the ethical civilization imposed by the government on its people does not teach the superior to force the inferior by ethical creeds. Instead, it teaches the superior to do their best to fulfill their duties and create a decent environment where the ordinary folks can morally cultivate themselves. As for academic culture, Chuan Shan resolutely stands by “HuaYi Zhi Bian” (the distinction between the civilized Chinese and the barbarian), emphasizing the Chinese racial purity. Hua (Chinese) and Yi (barbarian) are differentiated mainly by culture, as well as other minor standards. Politically, the solidarity of the Chinese people is more important than pledging loyalty to the same ruling family. Except for Confucianism, doctrines such as Buddhism, Taoism, Yin-Yang thought (the thought on positive and negative forces) and others are considered by Chuan Shan either too destructive or too benefit-oriented. He believes these thoughts could be used to purge the rulers of their crimes or to help them pursue a higher position. Therefore, these thoughts to him are not qualified enough for the rein of a country.
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