Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2018

 

Western Discussion and Knowledge of Ancient Chinese History in the Early 19th Century (Abstract)

 

Wu Yixiong

 

Westerners’ discussions and debates over ancient Chinese history in the early 19th century were not just an extension of European scholars’ long-term interest in the subject; they represented a further development in a new era. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch scholar Isaac Titsingh and the French scholar Chrétien-Louis-Joseph de Guignes doubted or rejected the traditional system of ancient Chinese history. Their work struck a chord with Christian missionaries in China and with British and American scholars, who published a number of related works. Among them, Karl Gutzlaff’s proposition that “Confucius fabricated history” and the view “the later the time of record, the earlier the start of ancient Chinese history was supposed to be” deserve note. However, French and German scholars such as Abbé Jean Baptiste Grosier, Heinrich Julius Klaproth and Agricol-Joseph Fortiad’Urban disagreed with these views. The two sides had a heated debate on the authenticity of the historical materials in the Shang Shu, the Chinese historiographical tradition and the status of the biblical system of chronology. Although their viewpoints were different or even starkly opposed, they are still important for the history of Western Sinology and of Sino-Western cultural exchange.