The Origins and Continuity of Chinese Sociology

507 Pages·2022·5.744 MB·English

by  Tiankui Jing

Tiankui Jing
The Origins and
Continuity of
Chinese Sociology
The Origins and Continuity of Chinese Sociology
Tiankui Jing
The Origins and Continuity
of Chinese Sociology
Tiankui Jing
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Beijing, China
Translated by
Carissa Fletcher
Fletcher Translations
Beijing, China
This work was supported by Chinese Fund for the Humanities and Social Science
ISBN 978-981-19-5680-5 ISBN 978-981-19-5681-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5681-2
Jointly published with Social Sciences Academic Press
The print edition is not for sale in China (Mainland). Customers from China (Mainland) please order the
print book from: Social Sciences Academic Press.
Translation from the Chinese language edition: 《“ 中国社会学: 起源与绵延》” by Tiankui Jing, © Social
Sciences Academic Press 2017. Published by Social Sciences Academic Press. All Rights Reserved.
© Social Sciences Academic Press 2022
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publishers, whether the whole or part of the
material is concerned, specifically the rights of reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting,
reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known
or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publishers, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publishers nor the authors or
the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any
errors or omissions that may have been made. The publishers remain neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
One who desires to know the Great Way must
first study history.
To destroy a nation, one must first remove its
history.
—(Qing Dynasty) Gong Zizhen, Complete
Works of Gong Zizhen
(Shanghai: Shanghai People’s Press, 1975),
22, 81.
Contents
1 Introduction: Historical Foundations of Chinese Sociology ......... 1
1 How to Recognize the History of Chinese Sociology
as a Discipline ............................................... 1
1.1 On the Historical Existence of Qunxue ..................... 2
1.2 On the Criteria for Designation as an Academic Discipline
and Their Predicative Assumptions ........................ 4
2 How to Approach the History of Chinese Sociology
as a Discipline ............................................... 5
2.1 Following the Pattern of Disciplinary Development,
Chinese Sociology Met the Prerequisites for Marrying
the Chinese and Western Intellectual Traditions .............. 6
2.2 Setting Out the Heritage and Distinct Features of Chinese
Sociology .............................................. 8
2.3 Allowing Chinese Sociology to Build and Showcase Its
Unique Strengths ........................................ 9
3 How to Explore the Historical Foundations for the Rise
of Chinese Sociology ......................................... 12
4 Concluding Remarks ......................................... 17
Part I General Introduction
2 The Origins and Development of Chinese Sociology ............... 21
1 On the Origins and Development of Chinese Sociology ............ 21
1.1 On the Nature of Sociology as a Discipline and Its
Relationship to Modernity ................................ 22
1.2 On Challenges to the Historical Existence of Sociology
in China ............................................... 25
1.3 On the Origins of Chinese Sociology ....................... 33
1.4 On the Stream of Chinese Sociology ....................... 37
vii
viii Contents
2 Tracing the Origins: The Significance of the Conceptual
System of Qunxue ............................................ 41
2.1 The Fundamental Importance of Identifying the Origins
of Chinese Sociology .................................... 41
2.2 Validating Chinese Sociology on the Basis of Its
Homegrown Conceptual System ........................... 42
3 Collecting Morsels from the Seas of History: The Value
of the Conceptual System of Qunxue ............................ 46
3.1 On the Core Concepts of Chinese Sociology ................ 46
3.2 On the Basic Concepts of Chinese Sociology ................ 52
3.3 The Importance of Research on the Conceptual System
of Chinese Sociology in the Rise of the Discipline ........... 74
4 Concluding Remarks ......................................... 75
3 Core Concepts in Chinese Sociology .............................. 77
1 Qun (Community): A Conceptual Definition and the Essence
of Qunxue ................................................... 78
1.1 Qunxue: Xunzi’s Creation ................................ 78
1.2 Qundao: The Expansion by Yan Fu ........................ 84
1.3 Liang Qichao’s Elucidation of the Principles of Qun .......... 91
2 Human Relations: Social Relations and Their Maintenance ......... 106
2.1 Sociological Observations on Lun ......................... 106
2.2 The Historical Evolution of Lun ........................... 109
2.3 Comparing Lun in China and the West, and the Value
Thereof ................................................ 117
3 Benevolence: The Foundational Concept for Social Constructs ...... 118
3.1 The Origins and Evolution of Ren ......................... 118
3.2 The Sociological Connotations of Ren ...................... 123
3.3 The Social Construct of Ren .............................. 128
4 The Golden Mean: The Right Way of All Under Heaven ........... 135
4.1 Origins, Connotations, and Evolution of the Concept
of Zhongyong ........................................... 136
4.2 Zhongyong as the Path of Good Governance ................. 138
4.3 Zhongyong Society: A Third Path Diverging
from Autocratic and Democratic Societies .................. 139
4.4 The Modernization of Zhongyong Society .................. 140
Part II Essential Concepts in Chinese Sociology: Hequn and
Nengqun
4 Self-Cultivation ................................................ 145
1 Body: The Oneness of Mental and Physical Being ................ 147
1.1 The Significance of Shen ................................. 147
1.2 The Practicing Shen: Shaping Ethics and Ideas .............. 149
1.3 The Body as a Vessel for the Mind: A Symbiotic
Relationship of Master and Servant ........................ 151
Contents ix
2 Self: The Self-Concept of Dialectical Unity of Subject
and Object .................................................. 154
2.1 The Self-Concept of the Traditional Chinese Confucian
School ................................................. 154
2.2 The Objectified Ji and the Source of Benevolence ............ 155
2.3 The Subjective I and No I ................................ 158
2.4 “Arising from the Self” and “No I”: A Dialectically
Unified Self-Concept .................................... 160
2.5 The Sociological Significance of the Chinese Self-Concept .... 161
3 Human Nature: Personal Development and Social Edification ...... 162
3.1 The Meaning of Xing .................................... 163
3.2 The Characteristics of Xing ............................... 164
3.3 The Theses of Xing ...................................... 166
3.4 The Cultivation of Xing: Internalization of Social Norms ...... 169
3.5 The Edification of Xing: Discipline and Social Control ........ 171
4 Qi (Vital Energy): A Concept Linking Form and Spirit,
Community and Self, and Heaven and Humanity ................. 175
4.1 Conception of Form and Spirit ............................ 176
4.2 Conception of Community and Self ........................ 179
4.3 Conception of Heaven and Humanity ....................... 181
5 Mentality: The Formation and Practice of Social Psychology ....... 185
5.1 Defining Social Mentalities ............................... 186
5.2 Shaping the Social Mentality .............................. 190
5.3 The Realization of Ideal Character ......................... 193
6 She and Hui (Households/Assembled): Concepts and Their
Evolution ................................................... 196
6.1 She and Hui ............................................ 196
6.2 Huishe and Shehui ....................................... 202
7 Heaven: The Social Order and Code of Law ...................... 204
7.1 What is the Meaning of Tian? ............................. 204
7.2 Principal Categories of Heaven in Chinese Society ........... 205
7.3 Heaven in the Mind: The Illumination of Gentlemanly
Self-Cultivation and Feelings ............................. 214
8 Nature: The Supreme State of Self-Cultivation ................... 218
8.1 Interpretations .......................................... 218
8.2 The Way of Accord Between Humans and Nature ............ 219
9 Concluding Remarks ......................................... 223
5 Regulation of the Family ........................................ 225
1 The Family: The Foundation of Society ......................... 227
1.1 Evolution of the Family .................................. 227
1.2 Characteristics of the Family .............................. 231
1.3 The Family Was the Way Station for the Self to Enter
Society ................................................ 233
1.4 Functions of the Family in Society ......................... 236
x Contents
2 The Clan: The Heart of Traditional Social Governance ............ 238
2.1 The Concept of the Clan and Related Studies ................ 238
2.2 Structural Characteristics of the Clan ....................... 240
2.3 Transformation of the Clan ............................... 242
3 Filial Piety: The Basis for Social Integration ..................... 244
3.1 The Origin and Formation of Filial Piety .................... 244
3.2 The Meaning and Evolution of Filial Piety .................. 245
3.3 Social Integration Through Filial Piety ..................... 248
4 Propriety: A Social Institution ................................. 251
4.1 The Meaning and Features of Propriety ..................... 251
4.2 Building Society Through Propriety ........................ 256
5 Honor: An Essential Norm in Society ........................... 262
5.1 The Origins, Development and Disputation of Honor ......... 262
5.2 The Sociological Implications of Honor .................... 265
5.3 Honor as a Social Construct .............................. 267
6 Trust: The Principle of Social Interaction ........................ 271
6.1 The Basic Meaning of Trust .............................. 271
6.2 The Characteristics of Trust ............................... 273
7 Benefit: The Incentive for Social Action ......................... 275
7.1 Li (Benefit): A Polysemant ............................... 275
7.2 Benefit as the Power Motivating the Operation of Society ..... 278
7.3 The Functions of Benefit in the Operation of Society ......... 285
Part III Essential Concepts in Chinese Sociology: Shanqun and
Lequn
6 Governance of the State ......................................... 291
1 State and People: The Essential Matters of State Governance ....... 292
1.1 The Origins and Formation of the State: The Historical
Premise for State Governance ............................. 292
1.2 The Agent and Objects of State Governance ................. 293
1.3 Value Concepts in the State’s Governance of the People ....... 295
1.4 Institutional Instruments for the State’s Governance
of the People ........................................... 297
2 State Territory: The Spatial Construction and Governance
of the State .................................................. 301
2.1 The Meaning of State Territory and Its Institutional
Evolution .............................................. 302
2.2 Systems for the Distribution of Land ....................... 304
2.3 Systems for the Taxation of Land .......................... 308
3 Scholars: The Elite of State Governance ......................... 317
Contents xi
3.1 Evolution of the Meaning of Shi ........................... 317
3.2 The Formation of the Shi Class ............................ 319
3.3 Composition of the Shi Class ............................. 321
3.4 Essential Characteristics of the Shi Class ................... 324
3.5 Social Mobility of the Shi Class ........................... 328
3.6 Historical Roles of the Shi Class ........................... 331
4 The Way of the King and the Way of the Hegemon: Models
of State Governance .......................................... 333
4.1 The Historical Evolution of Thought on Kingliness
and Hegemony .......................................... 334
4.2 Essential Views on Kingliness and Hegemony ............... 339
5 Worth and Ability: Standards for the Selection of Talent in State
Governance ................................................. 351
5.1 The Social Intensions of Worth and Ability ................. 351
5.2 Structural Stratification of the Combination of Worth
and Ability ............................................. 355
6 The Imperial Civil Service Examination: A System
for the Selection of Talent in State Governance ................... 358
6.1 Fundamental Significance of the Civil Service
Examination ............................................ 359
6.2 Evolution of the Civil Service Examination System .......... 364
7 Public and Private: The Boundary Separating the State
and the Individual ............................................ 368
7.1 The Meanings of Gong (Public) and Si (Private) ............. 369
7.2 Historical Evolution of Traditional Views on Public
and Private ............................................. 372
7.3 Fundamental Characteristics of Traditional Views
on Public and Private .................................... 380
8 Order: The Objective of Social Governance ...................... 384
8.1 The Implications and Evolution of Chinese Thought
on Order ............................................... 385
8.2 The Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Thought
on Order ............................................... 390
8.3 The Order Complex in Traditional Chinese Thought .......... 392
9 Position and Advancement: The Ideal Condition of State
Governance ................................................. 395
9.1 The Fundamental Meaning of Weiyu ....................... 395
9.2 Evolving Interpretations of Weiyu .......................... 396
9.3 The Sociological Implications of Weiyu ..................... 398
9.4 Weiyu: The Ideal Condition of State Governance ............. 402
7 Peace for All Under Heaven ..................................... 405
1 All Under Heaven: The Chinese Concept of the World ............. 406
1.1 The Origin and Evolution of the Concept of All Under
Heaven: The World as a Commonwealth and as a Family ..... 407