introduction
The Jin Dynasty was an ethnic minority regime established by the Jurchens, and before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Jurchen culture was backward, and after the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, they actively studied and absorbed Han culture.
With the deepening of the process of national integration, the Jurchen rulers were contaminated by Confucianism, and their Confucian cultivation gradually improved, showing their psychological identification with Confucianism, which provided a good environment for the development of Confucianism.
The literature of the Jin Dynasty under the influence of Confucianism inherited the Confucian view of poetry, advocated the use of literature and the clear way, pursued the elegant tradition formed since the Book of Poetry, and reflected it in specific literary creations.
After the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, with the gradual deepening of national integration, the Jurchens accelerated the study and absorption of Han culture, and the rulers were contaminated by Confucianism, and the cultivation of Confucianism was greatly improved, which promoted the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty.
I. Jin Dynasty literature in the context of Confucianism
As a minority regime established by the Jurchens, the Jin Dynasty relied on strong force to destroy the Liao and Northern Song regimes successively, and then entered the Central Plains.
Before the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchen had a relatively low cultural level and retained a relatively primitive production and lifestyle, and after entering the Central Plains, they collected a large number of Han books, actively absorbed Han culture, and promoted national integration, which provided a possibility for the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Jin and Emperor Taizong, he devoted himself to expanding the territory and paid little attention to cultural construction, and the two emperors of Jin Xizong, King Hailing and later emperors of the Jin Dynasty were taught by Confucian scholars and doctors since childhood, and were influenced by Confucian thought, and their Confucian cultivation gradually improved.
The exemplary role of the rulers of the Jin Dynasty promoted the acceptance of Han culture by the Jurchens, the Confucianization of education and the content of the imperial examination, and the construction of a large number of schools and temples of literature, which promoted the wider spread and development of Confucianism.
Second, the cultural spread of the early Jin Confucianists
The early Jin Confucianists, mainly from the Liao and Northern Song dynasties, were mainly tasked with formulating a perfect official system and etiquette for the imperial court, that is, the so-called "imperial court canons, neighboring countries' orders", without too much explanation of Confucian concepts, laying the foundation for the Jin Dynasty Confucianism's tendency to learn the scriptures.
Although the Jin agent school was developed under the influence of the Song agent school, there were no science masters who were famous enough to be famous. At the same time as the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty, the ideas of interpretation and Taoism were also popular in the society of the Jin Dynasty, showing a trend of the integration of the three teachings of Confucianism and Taoism, which to a certain extent dissipated the influence of Confucian literary views on the development of literature.
The development of Jin Dynasty literature can be roughly divided into three periods: the early stage, the middle period and the late period, the early literary circle, that is, the "borrowing talents and different generations" period of the early Jin Dynasty, the "different generation" literati in the early Jin Dynasty already had high literary accomplishment and a more mature literary style before entering the Jin Dynasty, and they laid a good foundation for the development of Jin Dynasty literature;
In the middle period, from the emergence of the "Guo Chao Wen School" to the Xuanzong's Zhenyu Nandu, the "Guo Chao Wen School" writers were born in Jin and grew up in Jin, and began to form the unique characteristics of Jin Dynasty literature, but the influence of "different generation" literati in the early Jin Dynasty can still be seen.
During the Jin Xuanzong period, in the face of the attack of the Mongol army, the Jin Dynasty army was unable to resist, the national situation was gradually declining, and the development of literature also entered a new period.
In the later period, the literary world from Zhenyu Nandu to Jin's death, although the country's power gradually declined and eventually perished after Zhenyou Nandu, the development of literature ushered in prosperity, and many literary scholars appeared.
III. The Influence of Confucianism on the Scribes of the Jin Dynasty
The influence of Confucianism on the scribes of the Jin Dynasty was reflected in the transformation of orthodoxy and the strengthening of the hidden consciousness, and the Jin Dynasty, as a minority regime established by the Jurchens, began to seek theoretical basis for the legitimacy of the dynasty, and in this process, Confucian orthodoxy played an important role.
After the rulers of the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty and entered the Central Plains, they actively carried out Sinicization reforms, formulated systems such as official systems and etiquette under the guidance of Confucianism, and discussed the issue of "moral movement" of the dynasty many times, in order to gain the recognition and support of the Han people.
Influenced by the concept of "Yixia Distinction", the ancient Han people generally held a certain prejudice against ethnic minorities, and in this context, the orthodoxy of the Han people of the Jin Dynasty had a process of change from exclusion to acceptance, indicating their gradual psychological identification with the legitimacy of the Jin Dynasty's rule, and expressed it in literary works.
In the early days of the Jin Dynasty, scribes from the Liao and Song dynasties, either captured in war, or voluntarily surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, or sent to the Jin Dynasty to be stayed, the Han scholars under the influence of Confucian loyalty-monarch often showed nostalgia for their homeland, which was clearly expressed in their literary works.
As a result, the early Jin "heterogeneous" scribes, especially those from the Song Dynasty, still regarded the Song Dynasty as orthodoxy and were skeptical of the legitimacy of the Jin Dynasty's rule.
The literati who were born in Jin and grew up in Jin, that is, the "national dynasty literary school" proposed by Xiao Gong, did not have special feelings for the Liao and Song dynasties, naturally recognized the orthodox legitimacy of the Jin dynasty's rule, and also revealed a sense of pride and superiority as a subject of the Jin dynasty in their literary works.
At the end of the Jin Dynasty, in the face of the attack of the Mongol army and the dynasty was in danger, the literati and doctors showed concern and worry about the fate of the dynasty, which was no less than the concern of the Han scholars for the Han regime, and the psychological identification of the Jin Dynasty scribes with the rule of the Jin Dynasty can be seen.
In addition, the Han scholars under the rule of the Jurchens faced a more difficult situation in their career paths, and revealed a strong hidden idea in their literary works.
On the one hand, the literati of the "Guo Dynasty Literary School" were influenced by the Confucian idea of self-cultivation and the idea of governing the country and the world, and had a relatively strong desire to join the WTO, and on the other hand, they faced the dilemma on the road to the world, wandering between the priest and the hidden, often revealing hidden thoughts, they may not really want to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, but more as a psychological comfort when the career encounters setbacks.
Fourth, the return of traditional Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty
The Jin Dynasty literary concept under the influence of Confucianism has a conscious pursuit of the elegant tradition formed since the Book of Poetry, inherits the Confucian view of poetry and teachings in the understanding of the relationship between literature and Taoism, advocates that literature can "understand the way of kings and assist education", conveys the concepts of Confucian loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, etc., and emphasizes the social edification function of literary works.
Under the guidance of the Confucian concept of literature, which advocates "literary quality and courtesy", emphasizes the enrichment of literary works, and opposes excessive ornamentation in external form, the literary circle after the southern crossing of Zhenyou of the Jin Dynasty advocated "literature is based on meaning", so as to reverse the sharp new and flashy style formed in the literary circle since the Jin Dynasty Zhangzong, and promoted the development of Jin Dynasty literature.
At the same time, the return of traditional Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty affected the formation of the retro tendency of Jin Dynasty literature to a certain extent, and the Jin Dynasty literati advocated learning from the ancients, so as to obtain an improvement in literary level, which was mainly reflected in the acceptance and study of Tang and Song literature by the literati of the Jin Dynasty.
The literati of the Jin Dynasty generally held a respectful attitude towards Tang Dynasty literature, and the scope of teaching was wider, with the Sheng Tang, Middle Tang and Late Tang literati all within the scope of study, while the Jin Dynasty literati had mixed reviews of Song Dynasty literature, and the objects of study were mainly concentrated in Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and others, and there was no lack of criticism.
V. Literary performance of the Jin Dynasty under the influence of Confucianism
The literary creation of the Jin Dynasty under the influence of Confucianism had different manifestations in different periods, and the "different" literati in the early Jin Dynasty were influenced by the patriotic ideas of Confucian loyalty, could not forget the motherland, and could not find a sense of belonging in the Jin Dynasty.
Therefore, in their literary works, they showed nostalgia for their hometown and the psychological burden of the Second Dynasty, and they developed a desire to retreat, expressing their yearning for seclusion in order to resolve their inner difficulties.
The establishment of the Jin Dynasty experienced a long period of war, and even after the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, wars were frequent, coupled with imperial court taxes and natural disasters from time to time.
The life of the people of the Jin Dynasty was not rich, even the so-called "prosperous era" Sejong and Zhang Dynasty, the people of the Jin Dynasty sometimes inevitably fell into a situation of self-sufficiency, the literati in the middle of the Jin Dynasty were influenced by Confucian benevolence and political thought, concerned about the production and living conditions of ordinary people, and the literati represented by Liu Ying created many literary works that cared for the people's livelihood.
When Confucian literati and doctors create literature, they will inadvertently reveal their thoughts on Confucian theory, which are rooted in profound Confucian cultivation, and some works have not lost their literary color, and the Jin Dynasty literati also have such works.
The literati of the Jin Dynasty also had literary creations that elaborated Confucian theory, which were purely the exposition of Confucian doctrine, propagated Confucianism, and reflected their understanding of Confucian doctrine, but lacked literary aesthetic meaning.
The Jin dynasty's kingdom declined after Zhenyu's southern crossing, and influenced by the Confucian ideology of loyalty, patriotism and benevolence, the works of the literati of the Jin Dynasty showed concern for the fate of the country and concern for the situation of the people.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, the classics that focused on the canon system and the politics of etiquette played a great role, and at the same time, under the influence of the Song Dynasty, the Jin agency study was also spread to a certain extent. The Jin Dynasty was an ethnic minority regime established by the Jurchens, and the rulers' acceptance of Confucianism affected the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty to a certain extent, and also reflected the development process of Jurchen and other ethnic minorities' acceptance of Confucianism.
In addition to Confucianism, Shi and Taoism were also popular in Jin Dynasty society, and the three showed a trend of blending with each other.
After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, the cultural and academic centers moved south, the foundation of Confucianism in the Central Plains was weak, and the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty, although relatively declining, has not been interrupted.
The rulers of the Jin Dynasty began to search for scribes from the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and most of the literati who entered the Jin Dynasty from the Liao and Song Dynasties had good cultural literacy, although they were not Confucians who specialized in the study of Confucianism, but they were also influenced by Confucianism for a long time, and they became the first batch of Confucian propagators.
6. The role of the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty
At the beginning of the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, Jin Dynasty Confucianism played an important role in the construction of the country's political system, Han Fang, Hong Hao and others served as teachers of the Jin Dynasty emperor and Jurchen aristocracy, instilling in them the concept of Confucian governance; Yuwen Huizhong and Han Qixian directly participated in the formulation of the rules and regulations such as the etiquette of the Jin Dynasty.
Confucianism in the early Jin Dynasty was more of a political means to instill Confucian ideas in rulers and establish a political system that conformed to Confucian norms, rather than inventing doctrine and establishing a system of doctrine.
With the deepening of the process of national integration, Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty played an important role in the process of feudalization, and with the establishment and improvement of the Han official system, more Han scholars and doctors were able to enter the career path, they read Confucian poetry, abide by Confucian etiquette, and implement the concept of Confucian governance.
The special historical environment made the development of Confucianism in the Jin Dynasty focus on the aspects of traditional Confucianism, and lacked the invention and interpretation of Confucian principles.
On the one hand, the phenomenon of the return of traditional Confucianism in the Jin and Yuan periods was due to the fact that the aristocratic groups of the Jin and Yuan ethnic minorities conquered the Central Plains by force and destroyed the traditional culture of the Han people, so a new requirement emerged for preserving the traditional Han culture and restoring the inherent social order in the Central Plains. On the other hand, it can also be said to be a reversal of the abuses of Song Yuan's theory, turning empty talk of righteousness into the application of the sutra.
epilogue
The literati of the Jin Dynasty paid more attention to the level of thick human ethics and aesthetic education in Confucianism, and did not have too many inventions for the interpretation of morality, life and other righteousness, which is also a concrete embodiment of the Jin Dynasty Confucianism's emphasis on the application of the world.
The Jin Dynasty Confucianists' promotion of Confucian concepts of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness did not break through the scope of traditional Confucianism. The interpretation of Confucianism by the literati of the Jin Dynasty is based on the construction of feudal human relations, which is closely related to the stability of national order.
The emphasis of the literati of the Jin Dynasty on Confucianism catered to the willingness of the rulers of the Jin Dynasty to maintain their rule, and also promoted the acceptance of the minority rulers of the Jin Dynasty by ordinary Han people.
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