청말 지식인의 중국문화관－辜鴻銘을 중심으로－

Abstract

At the end of the nineteenth century, when the Chinese nation was facing the impact of modern western civilization and the aggression of Western powers. Sinocentrism started shaking from the very foundation and when scientific civilization started entering China, Ku Hung-Ming criticized ills of western culture’s emphasis on materialism and emphasized superiority of Chinese culture. Ku Hung-Ming was well-versed in the western philosophy but was not involved in groups that advocated revision of law or revolution, nor did he support the New Cultural Movement like other Chinese intellectuals who studied abroad. Rather, he participated in restoration(復辟) movement and advocated preservation of old traditions such as keeping pigtail(辮髮), keeping multiple wives(蓄妾), binding female foot(纏足), and eight-legged essays(八股文). His unique moves were distinct from other intellectuals at the time when modernism was recognized as westernization. This study analyzes philosophical background of how Ku Hung-Ming, as an intellectual from the transitional period of the late Qing Dynasty, created his view of Chinese culture. We will examine his familial and educational background, his life as a Qing loyalists(淸遺民), his understanding of Confucianism and translation of Confucian classics, his activities in Korea and Japan and analyze features and characteristics of how his view of Chinese culture was formed.