淸末 新政期 沈曾植의 현실 인식과 儒敎觀

Abstract

This study examines the Confucian and scholarly perspectives of Shen Zengzhi (1850–1922), a bureaucrat and scholar during the New Policy period of the late Qing Dynasty. Through this analysis, the study aims to explore how politicians and intellectuals of the late Qing and early Republican period reinterpreted Confucianism in response to the changing times and sought to apply it to politics and ideology. Despite Shen Zengzhi’s crucial role as an intellectual bridge in the lineage extending from the early Republican Kongjiao (孔教) movement to Wang Guowei and the Xueheng (學衡) group, scholarly attention to his contributions remains insufficient. This lack of recognition raises an important question regarding his intellectual and political significance. Beginning with this question, this paper sheds light on Shen Zengzhi’s intellectual trajectory during the late Qing period, emphasizing the debates among new and old intellectuals on how Confucianism and Confucian learning should be utilized as ideological resources before the formalization of the Kongjiao movement. More specifically, this study highlights how these discussions and disputes extended beyond mere ideological concerns to encompass broader considerations about the contemporary and future political order. By analyzing the intellectual debates surrounding Kongjiao in the late Qing and early Republican period, this study examines how the movement emerged as a product of the struggles of intellectuals seeking reform and enlightenment. Furthermore, it critically explores Shen Zengzhi’s efforts to reinterpret Confucianism in accordance with the demands of his time.