Yang Gongle: Drawing Rich Academic Resources from the Treasure House of Chinese Civilization
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the Symposium on Work in Philosophy and Social Sciences: "We must follow the approach of being grounded in China while learning from abroad, excavating history while grasping the contemporary, and caring for humanity while facing the future, so as to strive to build philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics." The 5,000-year-old treasure house of Chinese civilization contains rich ideological wisdom. Drawing academic resources from it is an important way to construct an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, and is a concrete manifestation of persisting in the "Two Combinations" [1]. We should consciously apply the concepts and theories therein to enrich academic research and continuously shape a disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit.
The treasure house of Chinese civilization contains rich ideological resources, providing an inexhaustible source of wisdom for constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
The unique hallmarks accumulated by Chinese civilization are indispensable ideological references for promoting academic development. Chinese civilization is the only civilization in thousands of years that has never been broken, and its most core contents have become the most fundamental cultural genes of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "These most fundamental cultural genes are the unique hallmarks, distinct from other nations, gradually formed by the Chinese nation and the Chinese people in the processes of cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world [2]; respecting the seasons and maintaining one’s position [3]; understanding the constant and adapting to change [4]; opening up the hidden and accomplishing tasks [5]; and establishing merit and a career [6]." In the process of walking its own path of development, through continuous accumulation, the Chinese nation has formed unique and incomparable ideological resources, constituting the continuity of Chinese civilization. This fundamentally determines that the Chinese nation must walk its own road, and also determines that we must construct an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods [7], various schools of thought such as Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism wrote books and propounded theories, engaging in mutual discussion and forming a situation where "a hundred schools of thought contend" [8], ushering in the first great ideological awakening and prosperity in the history of Chinese civilization. Subsequently, several periods of great academic prosperity appeared, such as the Jingxue (study of Confucian classics) of the Han Dynasties, the Xuanxue (Neo-Taoism) of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the Lixue (Neo-Confucianism) of the Song and Ming Dynasties. All of these have continuously and profoundly shaped the spiritual character of the Chinese people and endowed the ideological resources of Chinese civilization with distinct Chinese characteristics.
The shining Chinese documents in Chinese civilization provide a rich theoretical basis and discourse reference for promoting academic development. Historical facts show that the most fundamental cultural genes of the Chinese nation possess tenacious vitality and communicative power. Chinese documents are important carriers for recording the unique hallmarks of Chinese civilization and promoting its dissemination. China possesses a system of documentary classics spanning over 3,000 years, characterized by orderly transmission and complete structure. This system has a long history, including oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, bronze inscriptions of the Zhou Dynasties, bamboo and silk scripts of the Qin and Han Dynasties, as well as various types of classic carriers such as paper, woodblock, and movable-type printing. The sea of Chinese documents is vast, with a rich quantity and complete categories of surviving classics, standing unique among world civilizations. As early as the Tang Dynasty, our country formally established the Siku (Four Branches) classification system of Classics (Jing), History (Shi), Masters (Zi), and Collections (Ji), which was followed and improved by subsequent dynasties. The content of these classics covers fields such as ideology, history, literature, art, science, and technology. These documents, with their broad coverage, provide contemporary Chinese philosophy and social science research with important academic discourse references and theoretical innovation ideas. Whether in economics, political science, or law, or in the study of key disciplines like history and sociology, many research areas can draw wisdom and inspiration from Chinese documents. Among the passed-down classics, the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library in Four Sections) alone contains more than 3,000 titles and over 79,000 volumes. The General Catalogue of Chinese Ancient Books records about 200,000 types of existing Chinese ancient books. Combined with local gazetteers, family genealogies, archives, and manuscripts, the total volume is quite considerable. These rich and precious Chinese documents provide important primary materials for constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
Historical records, as typical representatives of Chinese documents, have special value for promoting academic development. From oracle bone inscriptions and bronze engravings to classics such as the Shangshu (Book of Documents), Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals), and Zhushu Jinian (Bamboo Annals), a wealth of historical narrative was formed during the pre-Qin period, systematically recording the civilizational trajectory of the Chinese ancestors. Sima Qian, a historian of the Western Han Dynasty, wrote the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) with the lofty ambition to "examine the boundary between heaven and man, comprehend the changes of the past and present, and form a school of one's own," creating our country's first general history in biographical form. The Twenty-Four Histories, formed through long-term continuous compilation by numerous historians, constitutes a massive system spanning a long period. They are precious historical documents in the treasure house of Chinese civilization and immortal miracles in the history of world civilization. The Twenty-Four Histories total more than 3,000 volumes, accumulating precious historical materials of the Chinese nation over thousands of years, recording historical events, institutional systems, and شخصیت (characters/atmospheres) of various dynasties before the Qing Dynasty. They comprehensively reflect the evolution and development of our country's political, economic, military, and legal systems, the production struggles and scientific inventions of the people of all dynasties, and the origins of literature and art. They contain both continuous narratives and a consciousness of "Great Unification" (Dayitong), with clear divisions and distinct threads. They are an important basis for strengthening cultural confidence and a true portrayal of the unbroken lineage of Chinese civilization. The detailed and specific historical records in Chinese historical books possess irreplaceable historical value and are a spiritual field that must be cherished and a knowledge reservoir that can be continuously excavated for constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
Extracting original and hallmark concepts from fine traditional Chinese culture and consciously drawing precious academic resources from them.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must strengthen the excavation and elucidation of fine traditional Chinese culture, so that the most fundamental cultural genes of the Chinese nation are adapted to contemporary culture and coordinated with modern society." To draw academic resources from the treasure house of Chinese civilization, we must persist in "making the past serve the present" and "pushing through the old to bring forth the new," promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. Academic concepts are the distinct hallmarks and important contents of academic resources; a series of scientific and accurate academic concepts are the foundation for building the disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. An important aspect of drawing academic resources from the treasure house of Chinese civilization is to extract original and hallmark concepts from fine traditional Chinese culture to provide a solid foundation for constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
Academic concepts are important carriers of Chinese academic resources. An important content that distinguishes Chinese civilization from other civilizations is that it has many original and hallmark concepts. These concepts are both mark-making results of Chinese ancestors transforming specific things into writing during the process of practice, and preconditions for the formation, dissemination, and preservation of Chinese documents. They carry the precise meanings of important ideological ideas in Chinese civilization and achieve the accurate transmission of complex thoughts. Original and hallmark concepts in the treasure house of Chinese civilization have not only profoundly shaped the cognitive patterns of Chinese people at the ideological level but also laid the foundation for building the disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics at the level of practice. Grounded in the deep heritage of Chinese civilization, extracting indigenous theoretical concepts and academic terminology, inheriting the rich concepts left by ancestors, and endowing them with new connotations of the times is a foundational and long-term task for accelerating the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
Academic concepts are an important manifestation of the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. During the development process of Chinese civilization over more than 5,000 years, the Chinese nation has created a series of concepts with rich connotations. For example, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others" (Shudao—the way of reciprocity); "Do not fail to do a good deed because it is small, and do not commit an evil act because it is small" (Shenwei—being cautious of the minute); "An educated person must be broad-minded and resolute, for the burden is heavy and the road is long" (Hongyi—magnanimity and perseverance); "As heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman constantly strive for self-perfection" (Ziqiang—self-strengthening); "He who conquers others has physical strength; he who conquers himself is strong" (Zisheng—self-mastery). These are the spiritual qualities and codes of conduct condensed by the Chinese nation in practice. These concepts have not only consolidated the foundation of Chinese cultural identity but also greatly stimulated the cohesion and creativity of the Chinese nation, serving as an important manifestation of its cultural subjectivity. Building an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is inseparable from the inheritance and promotion of important concepts in fine traditional Chinese culture.
Academic concepts are an important reflection of the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization. Many concepts in Chinese civilization directly present the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization. For example, concepts such as "passing the torch from hand to hand" (xīnhuǒ xiāngchuán), "following the same lineage" (yīmài xiāngchéng), and "having a long and flowing source" (yuányuǎn liúcháng) reflect the continuity of Chinese civilization. Concepts such as "discarding the old to establish the new" (gé gù dǐng xīn) and "advancing with the times" embody its innovativeness. Concepts such as "the nine provinces governed together" (Jiǔzhōu gòngguàn) and "all within the six directions sharing the same customs" (Liùhé tóngfēng) reflect its unity. Concepts such as "inclusive and eclectic" (jiānróng bìngxù), "greatness lies in capacity" (yǒuróng nǎidà), and "seeking common ground while reserving differences" reflect its inclusiveness. Concepts such as "being kind to and friendly with neighbors" (qīnrén shànlín) and "valuing harmony" embody its peaceful nature. These concepts contain regular understandings and reflect Chinese characteristics, style, and spirit. Excavating and extracting original and hallmark concepts from the treasure house of Chinese civilization and integrating them with philosophy and social science research is both an important method for constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences and the only way to draw academic resources from the treasure house of Chinese civilization.
Developing the disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics is a complex systemic project that needs to start from the basics. The treasure house of Chinese civilization has inexhaustible and infinite resources. In this treasure house, there are not only the unique moral norms and spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation but also regular understandings that cross space and time, transcend regions, and possess vitality, as well as classics that provide correct guidance for humanity. We must consciously draw academic nourishment and resources from the treasure house of Chinese civilization and, through creative transformation and innovative development, contribute to the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.