I believe we have heard a proverb since childhood, that is, "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." This sentence came from Gu, a famous politician, thinker, educator, and writer in the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, He, Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi were collectively known as the three major Confucian schools in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Gu Statue

Gu was born on July 15, 1613 in Kunshan, Suzhou. Gu Jiang, whose original name is Zhong Qing. However, out of admiration for the character of Wen Tianxiang's protégé Wang, he changed his name to Gu Ningren and signed his name Jiang Zishan. Scholars call him Lin Ting.

Gu studied very hard when he was young, worked hard to apply what he learned, and achieved great literary achievements. It is worth mentioning that when Kunshan was invaded by the Qing army, he immediately joined the army. At that time, he joined the anti-Qing rebels to fight against the invasion of foreign enemies and defend the peace of the motherland. However, due to the disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, the struggle failed. In the end, he traveled north and south and died in Quwo on February 15, 1682.

Descendants transported Gu's body back to his former residence in Kunshan, Jiangsu, and built a cemetery for Gu in Kunshan. The cemetery contains Gu's ancestral hall, Gu's mausoleum, and Gu's residence, which provides a good opportunity for future generations to learn about Gu.

Gu not only had extremely high patriotism, but was also deeply respected and loved by future generations. However, his literary achievements are still sought after by many. He wrote books such as "Military System Theory" and "Formalism Theory", which were of great reference value for subsequent government and enterprise management.

Why did Gu criticize the imperial examination system?

The imperial examination system has made many contributions in the history of our country, but in fact it has not really played a role in any period in China. Gu's life was a period when the imperial examination system was low. Gu strongly criticized the imperial examination system, so why did Gu criticize the imperial examination system?

Gu Photograph

First of all, Gu believed that the implementation of the imperial examination system was actually unacceptable, because Gu believed that the invention of the imperial examination system was actually a setback to social development. People advocated Confucianism in the imperial examination system, but they could not have their own development and innovation. So Gu was very opposed to the imperial examination system on this point, which is why Gu criticized the imperial examination system. In addition, although the imperial examination system played a certain role in initially selecting talents for the country, due to the imperfection of the system, students were bound by a single teaching. The main purpose of studying is to get promoted and make a fortune. This is very different from the idea of ??caring that is advocated and admired, that is, applied in practice. It is even paradoxical that Gu was so opposed to and criticized the imperial examination system. Ideologically, he believed that the imperial examination system was actually a way to constrain people's thoughts. If a society does not receive innovation for a long time, it will not develop. Therefore, from this perspective, what Gu attacks is not this method of selecting officials, but this method of examination that only advocates Confucianism. This is why Gu criticized the imperial examination system.

Judging from the reasons why Gu criticized the imperial examination system, Gu's thoughts at that time were relatively advanced.

Gu famous words

He was a famous economist, phonologist, thinker, historian and geographer in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In his later years, Gu created the trend of simple learning in the Qing Dynasty. He is mainly ashamed of his own behavior, studies articles, applies what he has learned, and pays attention to learning from the world. Gu's 31 quotations were also very shocking at the time. He, Wang Fuzhi and Huang Zongxi are collectively known as the three major Confucian schools in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Portrait of Gu

Like "The rise and fall of the world, everyone is responsible" in "The Road to the Sun". "Integrity" in Volume 13 of "Japanese Knowledge" says that "the shamelessness of scholar-bureaucrats is a shame for the country"; people should not learn from childhood, nor should they be arrogant. The main reason for resigning is that although it is complicated and simple, it is almost completed. Because of wealth and honor, life is short, but the name of honor is longevity stone. To protect the world, ordinary people act cheaply and responsibly. Etiquette, justice, and integrity are the four dimensions. There is courage in heaven and earth, there are temples in mountains and countries, and there are luxury goods. I want to calm the East China Sea and keep it calm. People should not learn from childhood, nor should they be arrogant. Take whatever is not cheap; if you are not ashamed, you will do anything, etc. Gu's "The Road to the Sun" has a famous saying: "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." Among the 12 stone tablets in Gu Cemetery, these famous characters are the most prominent. Most of his quotes were written during sad times.

The main works include "Disease Book of Counties and Counties in the World", "Yu Zhaozhi", "Rilu Zhi", "Gu Yin Biao", "Shi Ben Yin", "Tang Yunzheng", "Yinwu Xue Shu", "Yi" "Yunjin", "Yinlun", "Collected Works of the History of Jin", 0700.

Gu can be said to be a knowledgeable person. His life changed and he opened up a new path to study in the early Qing Dynasty and became a master. He is known as the "ancestor of academics in the Qing Dynasty".

Gu’s story

Gu was born in 1613 during the Ming Dynasty. He has done research on his country's canons, astronomical images, Hetao, county and city stories, phonological exegesis, and hundreds of military and historical schools. In his later years, he created a new academic path for the Qing Dynasty. He is known as the "ancestor of Qing Dynasty" and became a great master. Later, he created a dull academic atmosphere in the Qing Dynasty and wrote many tragic poems.

Portraits of Gu

Representative works include "Collection of Tinglin Poems", "Ri Zhilu", "Yunzheng", "Ancient Phonetic Table", "Original Poetry Sound", "Tang Yunzheng" ", "Sound Theory", "Inscriptions on Stone", "Lin Ting's Collected Poems".

His life can be said to be tossing and turning. He has been studying hard since he was a child. At the age of 14, he obtained various qualifications. When he was 14 years old, he set "being ashamed of myself" and "understanding some literature" as his learning goals, but he always failed. At the age of 7, he began to write "County Disease Chronicles" and "Yu Zhao Chronicles". In 1641, his grandfather Gu Shaofu died of illness. In 1643, he became a student of the Royal Academy through donations.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, after the Qing soldiers entered the pass, he joined the Southern Ming Dynasty and served as the Military Affairs Department. They pinned their hopes on Hongguang's small court. But before they entered Nanjing, Nanjing had been occupied by Qing troops, and two anti-Qing movements were exposed.

In these war years, family disputes were ongoing. In order to fight for the property, Gu's uncle colluded with the Ye family and deliberately embezzled the property. After the robbery and arson, he met Ye Fangheng and wanted to harm himself, so he had to "pluck out the hair on his temples bit by bit and become a businessman."

In 1653, all the anti-Qing groups headed by Gu were exposed. He was imprisoned in 1654. His friend Li Yinhe and others were rescued from prison in 1657. In 1682, he got on his horse and ran away from a friend's house in Shanxi. He was unable to recover from his illness and eventually died.