International Seminar on Confucianism and the Yi Studies Held in Qingdao
Written in Chinese by Zhang Ke-bin (Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China)
Translated by Guan Yue (Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China)
In the beginning of the new century, an international seminar on Confucianism and the Yi studies was opened solemnly in Qingdao, which lasted from August 15 to 18, 2005. The academic activity, co-sponsored by the Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Shandong University and the Administration Committee of Laoshang Scenic Spots in Qingdao City, aimed at further promoting the development of the Yi studies and Confucianism and developing traditional Chinese culture. Over 150 experts and scholars from the United States, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland China, participated in the conference.
Leaders and representative scholars such as Ms Zang Ai-min, Vice mayor of Qingdao city, Jin Nuo, Chief of the Social Sciences and Politics Department of the Ministry of Education, Professor Zhan Tao, President of Shandong University, Mr Jiao Ren-he, former Secretary-general of Taiwan Strait Foundation and Professor of Taiwan Chinese Culture University, Mr. Shao Chong-ling, Honorary President of Taiwan Chinese Yijing Association, Mr Li Xue-qin, a celebrated professor from Qinghua University, Mr Cheng Zhong-ying, a famous scholar from Hawaii University of the United States, Mr Lǔ Kai, a noted professor from the Institute of Chinese Language and Literature of Taiwan Politics University, Liu Da-jun, Director of the Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Shandong University, addressed to the conference respectively. They expressed their congratulations on the conference. Meanwhile, they highly appraised the significance and value of the conference from many perpectives.
Professor Liu Da-jun, a noted Yi-ology scholar, delivered an opening speech at the conference and pointed out that Yi-ology and Confucianism have been playing an important role in traditional Chinese culture. For their close relations are concerned, the former is considered the origin of Chinese civilization while the latter is seen as the backbone of the mainstream culture of Chinese civilization. He also testified in depth the open-minded and creative spirits they share. In the present situation of the world economic globalization and cultural value pluralism both the spirits should continue to be developed, the rich mentality culture resource in the Yi-ology and Confucianism should be examined, extracted and reconstructed to bring it to life in modern times and admit it to bloom in the future.
The academic circle and news media at home and abroad gave high attention to the seminar. Mr Du Shi-cheng, Vice Secretary of Shandong Provincial Committee of CCP and Secretary of Qingdao City Committee, Mr Ren Ji-yu, a venerable elderly scholar of the academic circle and so on sent greetings and letters of congratulation to the conference. Many news media such as Dazhong Daily, Renmin Net, and Qingdao TV Station etc. made detailed reports on the conference.
The four-day seminar adopted the combination of conference reports and group meeting. The scholars made heated discussions and extensive exchanges, centering on the theme of “the Yi Studies and Confucianism”. Domestic and overseas famous scholars, in particular, Mr. Li Xue-qin, Mr. Pa Fu-en, Mr. Huang Qing-xuan (Taiwan), Mr. Cheng Zhong-ying (U.S.A.).Mr. Meng Pei-yuan, Mr. Xiao Han-ming, Mr. Wu Yi (U.S.A.), and Mr. Song Zhi-ming etc. made brilliant reports at the conference respectively. Among the reports some speakers expounded and proved Confucius’ “xing and tian dao” (human nature and the Dao of Heaven), the creative interpretation of Yijing by Confucius and the unique position of Chinese philosophy. Some scholars advanced the five meanings of non-change, change, simplicity, inter-change and harmonious change in the Yi-ology and explored the ontological structure of the five meanings in the whole framework. Some scholars analyzed the issues concerning metaphysical and physical issues conceived in Yi Zhuan. Some scholars considered that philosophy of Confucianism was a complete life philosophy based on reciprocal conversion of “dao, li and yong” (way, idea and practice) and so forth. Some scholars studied the characteristics and role of the Qing-Dynasty Confucianism and believed that it constituted the fourth theoretical pattern. All of these reports aroused heated discussions and henceforth climaxed the whole conference and considerably enhanced the academic level of the conference. The conference received over 100 articles which involved more than ten aspects of studies, namely, the thought in bamboo slips and silk manuscripts, interpretations of the Text and Commentaries of Zhouyi, the thought and history of the Yi-ology, Chinese classic works, philosophy and history of Confucianism, relations between the Yi-ology and Confucianism and their modernity, etc.. Besides, most views were characterized by originality and penetration. And some of the studies filled the blank space in some academic fields. The seminar concluded successfully on the afternoon of 18 August. Mr Liu Da-jun made a closing speech in which he made an elaborate summary of the achievements obtained in the conference from over ten perspectives. It was reported, the symposium would be published soon.
Summary of the International Seminar on Confucianism and the Yi Studies
Written in Chinese by Li Qiu-li (Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China)
Translated by Guan Yue
(Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China)
An international seminar on Confucianism and the Yi studies was held in Qindao, which lasted from August 14 to 18, 2005.This activity was organized jointly by the Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Shandong University and the Administration Committee of Laoshan Scenic Spots in Qindao City. More than 150 specialists and scholars from home and abroad attended the conference, in which were forwarded over 100 essays. A deep academic exploration and extensive exchange was made at the seminar, focusing on the theme of the Yi studies and Confucianism.
Part I Studies of the Yi-ology
Studies of the Yi-ology on the Bamboo Slips and Silk and the Text & Commentaries of Zhouyi
Some scholars pointed out that Zhouyi copied on silk excavated at Mawangdui was likely to be a hand-copied book of “Ancient Yijing” handed down by Zhou Wang-sun. Some advanced a new discrimination for the remarks attached to the second line of Hexagram Zhun(33rd hexagram in the current version of Zhouyi) copied on the Chu bamboo slips excavated, that is,“絷之用黄牛之革，莫之胜，遂”,whereas the original interpretation for its second line was taken as “执之用黄牛之革，莫之胜说 ( tied with ox leather, it is impossible to defeat it). Some believed that there were a small portion of the remarks affiliated to the lines were rhymed in Zhouyi, so a large portion of the rhythmical speech maintained by the phonologists of ancient characters should not be entirely acceptable. Some even made a special exploration into the cultural meaning and academic values, respectively with the regard to the two hexagrams of Qian and Kun in Zhouyi on silk and the received version of Zhouyi , yin-yang theory and world view elaborated by Qian and Kun hexagrams in the Commentaries on silk, the colorful marks and partial remarks to lines on the bamboo slips, the Dao of Heaven and law for governance in the Xi Ci Zhuan (the Great Treatise) and Huang lao Bo Shu (the Yellow Emperor and Laozi’s Doctrines) on silk and the position notions of trigrams in Zhouyi in terms of cultural significance and academic value and so on.
Philosophy and History of the Yi-ology
Some scholars got the abstract principle that “metaphysics” indicated the existence in the celestial phenomena and earth formation whereas ‘physics” referred to the concrete things grown out of changes of heaven and earth and intercourse between yin and yang after analyzing the theory that the metaphysical is called Dao (law) and the physical is called qi (substance).Some argued that yi (change) involved five kinds of meanings, i.e. change, non-change, simplicity, exchange, and harmonious change. Some scholars illuminated the position that Confucius was the important figure in the evolution of the Zhouyi into the Yi Zhuan, namely, the period of remarkable tian-ren (heaven-earth) philosophy was characterized by reduction of religious theology elements and replacement of humanistic mind. In terms of Zheng Xuan’s Yi studies, some scholars illuminated that Zheng’s approach to the Yi studies was a combination of image-number, philosophical connotations and textual exegeses. And the traditional view was a misunderstanding that his studies stressed image-number and neglected human affairs. Concerning Zhu Zhen’s Yi studies, some scholars argued that his studies displayed three layers of features. First, his image-number was characterized by taking the transformations be the hexagrams as the ultimate program which governed image-number regulations; Second, deducing the transformation of a hexagram was based on image-number; and third, deducing its origin should be based on the image-number and fourth, a man should “learn and attain taiji” by tracing its whole developing history .In addition, a part of scholars made elaborate studies on Zi Xia Yi Zhuan, Kong Ying-da’s Zhouyi Zhengyi, and other scholars’ thoughts on Yi like Yamg Wan-li, Li Gou, Zhu Yi ,Zhu Xi, Qian Da-xin, Chen Li and so on.
Yi Studies vs Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, Yi Studies vs Natural Science and Its Modern Value
Some scholars noted that Wu Cheng’s theory of change was a unique tian-ren philosophy in the scope of Song-Ming neo-Confucianism. Some scholars considered that modern neo-Confucianists finished work with the enhancement of “cosmo-ontology” and reassessment of the “value world” of Zhouyi. Some scholars pointed that Zhouyi and its Commentaries generated analogy in ancient Chinese logics. Some scholars advocated that administrative thought could be extended into the three-layer business management theory with Chinese characteristics, which covered theories of humanistic consciousness, characteristic management and management mentality. And some scholars delved deeply into the issues with the relations between Zhouyi and Buddism, between Zhouyi and Daoism, the distribution laws of the orderly-sequenced hexagrams and promiscuous arranged hexagrams in the received version of Zhouyi and education spirits, strategical thought and wisdom of life in the Yi-ology.
Besides, part of overseas scholars expounded, to some degree, scholars from Korean Ta San (Tea Hill), Tsong Ya Kiong and Yi Tue Ge’s thought on Yi, tseng ganpo music lines in the music history of South Korea and its relations with Zhouyi
Part II Studies on Confucianism Confucianism on the Bamboo Slips and Silk Books and pre-Qin Confucianism
Some scholars discussed about the relation of the character “身心”(literally the character is made up of up-and-down components, referring to body and mind respectively) on the unearthed Guodian bamboo slips with Confucius ‘ren’ learning, believing that ‘ren’ had two formations, one being ‘cong ren cong er (made up of man and two)’ and the other “cong shen cong xin (made up of body and mind)”.Some scholars analyzed Confucius thought of “shi yu (opportunity)”from the article entitled Qiong Da Yi Shi and concluded that the word ‘xue’ (learning) in the sentence ‘xue er shi xi zhi’ (learn and often review) should be explained as ‘doctrine’. Some scholars dwelled on that what “ke yu” implied in the statement “ke yu zhi wei shan” (desirable things are called good nature) covered four virtues of “ren, yi, li, zhi” (benevolence, righteousness, etiquette and wisdom).Some scholars suggested the view that Mencius’ thought included four aspects of good virtues, good cultivation, good administration and good education. And some scholars delved into a series of issues with “zhi ming” doctrine (knowing one’s fate) on the Chu bamboo slips excavated at Guodian, thoughts of “Five Elements” on the bamboo slips and silk, the debates between Confucian and Moist schools and intercourse between the both, 1930’s Debate between Confucianism and Moism in Taiwan, Confucius moral metaphysics system and human nature education.
Confucianism in the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties and Modern Confucianism
Some scholars noted that Gao Pan-long constructed a theoretical system which roughly stood in the mixture of xing and li doctrines, by subverting “xing ji li” (human nature is the Idea) and replacing it with “li ji xing” (the Idea is human nature). Some advanced the argument that Confucianism of the Qing Dynasty possessed powerfully critical consciousness and academic independent consciousness, which constituted the fourth theoretical mode of Confucianism. Some scholars believed that the mentality-development-oriented philosophical direction, which was headed by Xiong Shi-li, and promoted further by Tang Jun-yi and Mou Zong-san, considerably broadened space of modern transformation of Confucianism. Some scholars advocated that xing-zhu doctrine and self-discipline doctrine, as the two criterions for division into the three systems of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, respectively had the theoretical significance in overcoming weakness of Wang Yang-ming’s consciousness theory per se. Some scholars presented the Confucian philosophical concept of integrated life, advocating that Confucianism should be understood by placing it in the whole framework of reciprocal transformation between “dao, li, yong” (law, idea and practice ).Part of presenters also made special studies on the issues, i.e. interpretational conversion of “ren” and extension, reconstruction of Chinese philosophy, Zhu Xi and Lu Jiu-yuan’s relations with the Daoist School and Daoist religion and dilemma and way-out for the contemporary New Confucian theories
In addition, scholars were involved into discussion about the studies of ancient Chinese classics, Confucian modern value and research method of Chinese philosophy at the conference. The scholars explored deeply into subjects concerned with the differences in human nature between Dong Zhong-shu-led Confucian school and mind-nature school, “Six Classics” and “Six Skills”, Bai Hu Tong and the Yi-ology of the Han Dynasty, Jiao Xun’s thought on Shangshu and Confucian “ren”. The discussion was also concerned with the relations between these academic issues and construction of a harmonious society, thought of Great Harmony and globalization, seeking truth, virtues, science, technology, cultural recognition and national recognition. In conclusion, the scholars propounded various kinds of constructive views that a Confucian ecological philosophy should be built on the interaction between humanism and nature.