Gu Yanwu () (July 15, 1613 – February 15, 1682), also known as Gu Tinglin (), was a Chinese philologist, geographer, and famous
scholar-official
The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class.
Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...
in Qing dynasty. He spent his youth during the
Manchu conquest of China
The transition from Ming to Qing, alternatively known as Ming–Qing transition or the Manchu conquest of China, from 1618 to 1683, saw the transition between two major dynasties in Chinese history. It was a decades-long conflict between the em ...
in
anti-Manchu activities after the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
had been overthrown. He never served the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
. Instead, he traveled throughout the country and devoted himself to studies.
Biography
![Statue of Gu Yanwu in Tinglin Park, Kunshan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Statue_of_Gu_Yanwu_in_Tinglin_Park%2C_Kunshan.jpg)
Gu, a native of
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
, was born as Gu Jiang (). Gu began his schooling at the age of 14. In the spring of 1645, Gu was recommended to be the position of ''Bingbu Siwu'' in the royal court at
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
. There he proposed many ideas. Unsatisfied with the royal court's organization, Gu resigned and returned to his hometown. In 1655, local officials laid charges against him and threw him into prison. He was released from prison with the help of a friend.
Inspired by
Chen Di
Chen Di / Chʻen Ti () (1541–1617), courtesy name: Jili (), was a Chinese philologist, strategist, and traveler of the Ming dynasty. A native of Lianjiang County, Fuzhou, Fujian, China, he was versed in both pen and sword. As a strategist, he s ...
, who had demonstrated that the
Old Chinese
Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...
has its own phonological system, Gu divided the words of Old Chinese into 10 rhyme groups, the first one to do so. His positivist approach to a variety of disciplines, and his criticism of
Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy
Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Wa ...
had a huge influence on later scholars. His works include ''Yinxue Wushu'' (), ''Ri Zhi Lu'' () and ''Zhao Yu Zhi'' ().
Along with
Wang Fuzhi
Wang Fuzhi (; 1619–1692), courtesy name Ernong (), pseudonym Chuanshan (), was a Chinese essayist, historian, and philosopher of the late Ming, early Qing dynasties.
Life
Born to a scholarly family in Hengyang in Hunan province in 1619, Wang F ...
and
Huang Zongxi
Huang Zongxi (; September 24, 1610 – August 12, 1695), courtesy name Taichong (), was a Chinese naturalist, political theorist, philosopher, and soldier during the latter part of the Ming dynasty into the early part of the Qing.
Biography
Huan ...
, Gu was named as one of the most outstanding Confucian scholars of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty.
In 1682, while returning from a friend's home to
Huaying
Huaying () is a county-level city in the east of Sichuan province, China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city Guang'an. Its total population is 360,000 and with 50000 in the central city district. The city tree is the small leafed ...
, Gu fell from horseback and died the next day.
Aphorism
"''Everybody is responsible for the fate of the world''" ()
Alternatively, ''The rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone''; or ''Everyone bears responsibility for the prosperity of society''.
Legacy
Gu is commemorated by
Tinglin Park
Tinglin Park (Chinese: 亭林公园; pīnyīn: tínglíngōngyuán) is located in the north-west of Kunshan, China. Because the Yufeng mountain () in this park looks like a saddle (Chinese: 马鞍; pīnyīn: mǎ’ān), the park was named Ma’ans ...
and the Gu Yanwu Museum in Tinglin Park of
Kunshan
Kunshan is a county-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province with Shanghai bordering its eastern border and Suzhou on its western boundary. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Suzhou.
Name
There is a strong pos ...
. In 2005, the
Central Propaganda Department
The Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, also known as the Propaganda Department or Central Propaganda Department, is an internal division of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in charge of spreading C ...
of China named the Gu Yanwu Museum located at Gu's former residence in
Qiandeng town
Qiandeng () is a town in Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. , it has 12 residential communities and 16 villages under its administration. It is located 15 kilometers south of Kunshan city and borders Qingpu District, Shanghai on its east side. Qiande ...
as a "national patriotism education base".
Former residence of Gu Yanwu
The former residence of Gu Yanwu is located in
Qiandeng town
Qiandeng () is a town in Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. , it has 12 residential communities and 16 villages under its administration. It is located 15 kilometers south of Kunshan city and borders Qingpu District, Shanghai on its east side. Qiande ...
of
Kunshan
Kunshan is a county-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province with Shanghai bordering its eastern border and Suzhou on its western boundary. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Suzhou.
Name
There is a strong pos ...
, a Ming dynasty complex with main hall, living quarter, a study
and a garden. Gu Yanwu's grave is located in a quiet corner of the garden.
See also
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History of Chinese archaeology
Chinese archaeology has been practiced since the Song dynasty (960-1279) with early practices of antiquarianism. Although native Chinese antiquarianism developed some rigorous methods of unearthing, studying, and cataloging ancient artifacts, th ...
References
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gu, Yanwu
1613 births
1682 deaths
17th-century geographers
Chinese geographers
Linguists from China
Chinese Confucianists
Ming dynasty philosophers
Ming dynasty scholars
Philosophers from Jiangsu
Qing dynasty philosophers
17th-century Chinese philosophers
Scientists from Suzhou
Writers from Suzhou
Qing dynasty writers
People from Kunshan