3 - Toward a Theory of Plural Origins of Chinese Civilization: Hypotheses on Ancient Chinese History

Summary

The scholars of the May Fouth generation, strongly influenced by the concepts of pluralism and the genetic method, came to embrace an amoral, nonethical approach to learning, seeing all things in a state of constant change and evolution. Their views on what had traditionally been considered orthodox and unorthodox writings were fundamentally shaken, giving way to completely different interpretations of China's past. Once the breach had been made, diverse viewpoints came pouring out, and this generation of scholars created a new interpretive tradition that remains influential in our own day. Fu Ssu-nien's explanation of the history of Chinese antiquity is an example of this major interpretive change.

The years between 1927 and 1937 were Fu's most productive years for studying the history of Chinese antiquity. During this period he developed several very challenging hypotheses in this field. Two traits are discernible: first, he dissolved the history of Chinese antiquity from one overarching system into distinct processes; and, second, he pieced together the ancient history that had been smashed into fragments by the Movement of Doubting Chinese Antiquity. Nevertheless, his reconstruction of the history of ancient China was not a return to the original thesis. Instead it was an attempt at a new synthesis in the light of new data.

Ku Chieh-kang was the first to become suspicious of the vertical, linear relationship of the Three Dynasties.