Event Details

Visiting PhD scholar Hu Hsu of UC Berkeley shares his research on the reception of Wang Yangming's Neoconfucian philosophy beyond China

This talk examines the revival of Wang Yangming’s (王陽明, 1472-1529) Neo-Confucianism in modern East Asia within the framework of transnational history. Conventional scholarly consensus views Japan as the epicenter of this intellectual movement at the turn of the twentieth century because Japanese scholars claimed Wang’s Neo-Confucianism as a major resource for their successful Western-style modernization. This talk examines the formation of this narrative and the subsequent transition in Chinese intellectuals’ interpretation of his learning. Inspired by the Meiji Restoration, Chinese cultural elites assimilated the Japanese interpretation of Wang’s Neo-Confucianism by claiming “the unity of knowledge and action (zhixing heyi 知行合一)” as the core of his teachings. Unlike their modern counterparts, neither Japanese nor Chinese cultural elites in premodern times summarized Wang’s learning in this fashion. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that Japanese activists transformed Wang’s Neo-Confucianism into a philosophy of action for political purposes. This talk further argues that this modern narrative persists in contemporary China, shaping representations of Wang Yangming in both PRC cultural policy and the local cults devoted to this historical figure in rural Fujian. Bridging the disciplines of history, religious studies, and anthropology, this talk aims to unpack the tension between cultural symbols and modern state-building.