Reborn Bao Guowei, I really didn’t want to be a great writer!

Chapter 429 From the th year of Wanli to European History!
"The 15th Year of Wanli" can be regarded as a good book. This work, created in later generations, starts from several people and explains the operating principles of the civil service group in the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, it is hard to say how much academic value this book has.

In the academic circles of later generations, the author was not highly regarded.

If we have to say that this book has any historical significance, perhaps it is the "big history view" perspective of this book, that is, examining history from a longer period of time and a macro perspective, or examining Chinese history in the context of world history.

But if you say this is a masterpiece of history, in Bao Guowei's opinion, it is not.

The content of the original book, due to the author's limitations, is more original and unconventional.

What is most unbearable is that this book is essentially result-oriented, that is, "because of the failure of the Ming Dynasty, the system must have failed."

These views obviously reflect Huang Renyu's prejudice and personal opinions, and he also made many out-of-context quotations in the book to fit his own views.

This can be seen from the author's identity background.

Huang Renyu once gave up his pen to join the army. He witnessed the defeat of the Kuomintang government and experienced his own wandering life in America.

In a sense, this book explores his own life experiences, the reasons for the failure of the Kuomintang government, and even the reasons for the failure of traditional society as a whole.

This is a deeply reflective book.

But this book is clearly not entirely without merit.

Huang Renyu’s view of Ming history may not understand the Chinese people, but he understands Westerners!

"The 15th Year of Wanli" is essentially a Chinese history book written for Westerners from the perspective of a person who fled from the Kuomintang government.

The reason why Bao Guowei chose this book is that he values ​​the changes in language theory it made for Westerners, which can better fit the Western perspective.

This was obviously very important to Westerners at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Bao Guowei, on the other hand, changed Huang Renyu's judgment that the Ming Dynasty was in decline based on the popularization of "The 15th Year of Wanli".

"Since the beginning of the 20th century, the West has always had a misunderstanding, that is, the Eurocentric theory. In fact, in terms of economic trade, cultural dissemination, artistic influence, scientific and technological exchanges, etc., the Ming Dynasty played a vital role in the world at that time.

I want to correct your viewpoint, that is, when discussing world history, we should ignore the fact that the Eastern world led by the Ming Dynasty had a great influence on the whole of Europe, and shift from Eurocentrism to a global perspective, which is something that Western scholars today ignore.

Taking "The 15th Year of Wanli" as the starting point, Bao Guowei did not completely refer to the original text. He not only added some of his own understanding, but also incorporated some views of other historians.

For example, the above views were not put forward by Bao Guowei himself, but were referenced from the views of Edward L. Farmer, an American researcher on Ming Dynasty history.

"Under the special background, the bureaucratic system and imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty have unique value and significance. In terms of culture, Zhu Yuanzhang, the pioneer of the Ming Dynasty, advocated the restoration of the past and carried out a series of cultural reforms and revival. Such measures were aimed at consolidating rule and enhancing national cohesion.
In my opinion, it can be compared with the Renaissance in Europe at the same time."

Bao Guowei put forward a very novel point of view here, which is to find the identity between the Renaissance and the Ming Dynasty's "worship of the ancients".

Both experienced cultural awakenings under dark rule, except that the former was after church rule and the Black Death, while the latter was a retrospective under the oppression of the Yuan Dynasty rulers.

"In fact, similar to the Western world, the sprouts of capitalism had already appeared in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Traditional ideas had been challenged, and the commodity economy was developed in the Jiangnan region, breaking through the traditional feudal production relations in related fields such as silk weaving and cotton textile industries.
Commercial capital began to flourish. The city's economy continued to grow.
At the same time, ideas and concepts have begun to change. Traditional Confucianism has been challenged. Thinkers such as Wang Yangming emphasized individual subjective initiative. Li Zhi boldly criticized feudal ethics and Confucian classics, advocating individual liberation and freedom and equality.

Bao Guowei looked at the students who were listening quietly in the audience, many of whom had Asian faces. He smiled and said with a hint of regret.

"In a sense, the seeds of capitalism were already emerging during the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps in another time and space in history, China would be the first to realize bourgeois GM and work development.
Friends, Chinese history is not as corrupt as the Qing Dynasty! "

Bao Guowei's speech became more and more divergent. He started from a year in the Ming Dynasty and even talked about the world's industrial development and bourgeois GM, and even put forward a radical theory.

At the turning point of history, is it possible for China to achieve bourgeois GM and surpass the West?

For many students in Paris, this is nothing short of a fantasy.

Even though Paris is one of the important cities in Europe for Sinology studies, it has always viewed Eastern systems and cultures with a critical attitude, with criticism always outweighing praise.

And the person on the stage actually put forward the view that the East also had the opportunity to awaken. Isn't this just boasting?
Hasn't China been feudal, conservative and backward since modern times?

Many students present could not help but be skeptical. Bao Guowei's explanation was very brilliant, but his arguments were unacceptable to most Western students.

Even some international students have doubts about themselves.

Is what Bao Guowei said true?
At some point, Lucien Febvre, one of the founders of the Historical Annales School, appeared among the audience in the auditorium.

In fact, Lucien was not based in Paris all the time. Due to the lack of information, he didn't even know that Bao Guowei had arrived at the University of Paris.

His original intention was to meet Mr. John Dewey who was visiting the University of Paris, but he did not expect to hear the news that Bao Guowei was giving a speech in the auditorium.

After following the principal and his party to the auditorium, Lucien could not suppress his excitement.

Principal Paul patted his head and said, "Oh! Mr. Lucien, I almost forgot to introduce this gentleman to you. This is Mr. Bao Guowei from China. He has written two historical works. I wonder if you have read them."

Lucien listened to Bao Guowei's speech and replied with a smile: "I have known this gentleman for a long time."

"Have you seen it?" Principal Paul was a little surprised.

"No, unfortunately, this is my first time meeting Mr. Bao." Lucien shook his head and then said with a little excitement, "But I have read his works so well that I can almost recite them by heart. They are the representative works of our Annales School! Mr. Bao will eventually become the representative of the Annales School!"

Principal Paul was even more surprised. He knew that Bao Guowei had made achievements in literature, but he did not expect that he also had such a status in history.

For a moment, he began to wonder whether he should work harder to recruit Bao Guowei.

You can hear Bao Guowei mention the importance of Ming Dynasty history in the world historical perspective, and the possibility that the Ming Dynasty might have given rise to bourgeois GM in advance.

Paul, who didn't know much about history, couldn't help but feel a little unconvinced.

He frowned and said, "Is Mr. Bao's view too radical? Is it too nationalistic?"

"No." Lucien's expression became more and more serious, and he said very seriously. "This is to look at things from the new historiographical perspective of the Annales School and consider history from the perspective of the whole world.

For a long time, we have always held an arrogant attitude towards Eastern history. We have not paid attention to the development of the East, let alone China.

But in history, on a century-long scale, the East is a place that cannot be abandoned." "How could it be so?"

Paul still didn't quite believe it, but he didn't know what point to make to refute it, so he could only remain silent.

But then Lucien said with emotion: "Bao is really a genius in history. It would be great if he could study history with us?"

Paul blinked and actually saw desire in the other person's expression.

At this time, the speech was still going on.

Bao Guowei certainly would not simply praise the Ming Dynasty, but would discuss from a dialectical perspective the impact of what happened in the 15th year of Wanli on subsequent events.

Although the students in the audience did not agree with Bao Guowei's point of view, this kind of historical narrative perspective of "seeing the big picture from the details" was very novel, and after Bao Guowei's translation, it became much more interesting.

For a while, even though they said no, many students still listened honestly and patiently, immersed in the oriental world that Bao Guowei built for them.

"Walking at this node in 1587, in a sense, from the daily triviality of the noon court ceremony, it can be seen that the huge institution of the Ming Dynasty has gradually lost control."

"Emperor Wanli should have supreme power, but he was heavily constrained by the civil service interest groups. He seemed to represent only the existence of imperial power and was just a social need."

"China is very large. In the government decrees at that time, it took two months for the documents to be sent to the local areas. Therefore, the emperor could only rely on the gentry class composed of these scholars to manage the entire country. But these people are the country's ills!"

"Zhang Juzheng was a capable reformer who saved the Ming Dynasty from decline, but he also brought about the liquidation of the interest groups."

"Shen Shixing adopted a compromise approach to deal with the problem, but it only temporarily eased the conflict and did not fundamentally solve the problem."

Bao Guowei's speech not only covered many contents of "The 15th Year of Wanli", but also involved knowledge and historical views in various fields.

For those who know history, this is undoubtedly a feast.

Lucien in the audience was very excited. He stood next to Principal Paul and his eyes seemed to be shining as he looked at the stage.

"That's it! That's it! Mr. Paul! I must have a proper meeting with Mr. Bao. He showed me a completely different history!"

Paul was a little confused. He couldn't understand Lucien's reaction, and he didn't fully understand Bao Guowei's argument.

But he understood that Lucien was the leading historian in France, and to receive such an evaluation from him, the Oriental scholar on the stage must be extraordinary.

"It looks like I'll have to offer this gentleman an annual salary of $5000."

Paul thought so in his heart. In his mind, this was an offer that could not be refused. After all, the average annual salary of a professor in the United States is only about 3500 US dollars.

That's US dollars, which is much more valuable than francs!
"Brother Binglie, I think I should read some history when I have time. There are so many tricks in history. I wonder if there is a Ming Shilu in the library of the University of Paris?" Zheng Dazhang said to his companion excitedly.

Yu Binglie's reaction was normal. He looked at his companion helplessly. The other party didn't even have the money for tuition, yet he was still thinking of giving a speech on Ming history?
However, he also praised Bao Guowei's argument.

"Mr. Bingwen is worthy of his reputation. No wonder he is so highly praised in China. It seems that he will have a great influence in the world academic community in the future."

“After the speech is over, we will rush up and have a few words with Mr. Bingwen, and I will be satisfied.”

Zheng Dazhang clenched his fists and said eagerly.

John Dewey didn't notice that the principal and his party had entered the auditorium. His attention was all on the young man on the stage.

Professor Dewey had some understanding of China. Ten years ago, he traveled to China, gave speeches in many cities in China, and had exchanges with Mr. Chiang Menglin, Mr. Tao Xingzhi and others.

He also dabbled in Chinese history and made in-depth observations on Chinese society and culture.

But today, I still saw something different in Bao Guowei.

“That was a great speech.”

But as an expert in the field of education, Dewey naturally looked at the problem from the perspective of education.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself.

“How did such a talented student come about? Perhaps we can refer to his learning method to update and reform our educational philosophy?”

For a moment, Dewey's eyes staring at Bao Guowei became more gentle.

But there are not only voices of approval, there are also many voices of opposition.

For example, the Parisian student named Yorick, who had been opposing Bao Guowei, sneered immediately after hearing Bao Guowei's argument.

As a pure Frenchman, he could not tolerate Orientals bossing him around.

Ignoring the dissuasion of those around him, he immediately stood up and spoke loudly.

"Mr. Bao, maybe the Chinese history you tell is very interesting and maybe it is influential, but what's the use?
What does this have to do with Europe today? It doesn’t tell us how to move forward. It’s meaningless. We don’t need backward history and experience! ”

Yorick showed the Parisians' unique "relaxation", as if such offenses have always been encouraged.

For a moment, there was a lot of discussion in the auditorium. The students who were originally ambiguous seemed to think that there were some problems with Bao Guowei's argument.
But Lucien in the audience was about to explode with anger, and he spoke angrily.

"Is this the quality of students at the University of Paris? How can they say that history is meaningless?"

Principal Paul looked embarrassed, and he quickly comforted Lucien.

"Mr. Lucien, you don't have to be too angry. This is an academic exchange. Academic exchange."

Lucien almost rushed forward to speak. He angrily said: "What kind of academic exchange is this? The students in your school are too arrogant."

Principal Paul felt embarrassed and said this.

"Out-of-school, this is definitely a student from outside the school!"

(End of this chapter)