Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng
Encyclopedia
Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng was a Chinese
scholar and historian
of China's coastal province of Chekiang. His father and his grandfather had been government officials, but, although Chang achieved the highest civil service
examination degree in 1778, he never held high office.
Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng’s ideas about the historical process were revolutionary in many ways and he became one of the most enlightened historical theorists of the Ch'ing dynasty
; but, he spent much of his life in near poverty without the support of a patron and, in 1801, he died, poor and with few friends. It was not until the late 19th century that Chinese scholars began to accept the validity Chang's ideas.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
scholar and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of China's coastal province of Chekiang. His father and his grandfather had been government officials, but, although Chang achieved the highest civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
examination degree in 1778, he never held high office.
Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng’s ideas about the historical process were revolutionary in many ways and he became one of the most enlightened historical theorists of the Ch'ing dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
; but, he spent much of his life in near poverty without the support of a patron and, in 1801, he died, poor and with few friends. It was not until the late 19th century that Chinese scholars began to accept the validity Chang's ideas.
Further reading
- David S. NivisonDavid S. NivisonDavid Shepherd Nivison is a sinologist in the United States. His Chinese name is Ni Dewei .-Biography:Nivison received his Ph.D. in Chinese from Harvard University. Although less known, his first Chinese teachers were Lien-sheng Yang and Hong Ye . Nivison learnt most of the subjects from them...
, The Life and Thought of Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng, 1966. - Arthur W. Hummel, Sr.Arthur W. Hummel, Sr.Arthur William Hummel, Sr. was an American Christian missionary to China, noted Sinologist and father of Arthur W. Hummel, Jr., a career diplomat and U.S. Ambassador to China.-Biography:...
(ed.), Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period, 1644-1912, 2 vols., 1943–1944 - Eduard B. Vermeer, "Notions of Time and Space in the early Ch'ing", in: Junjie Huang, Erik Zürcher, Time and Space in Chinese Culture, ed. BRILL, 1995 ISBN 9789004102873, on Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng p. 227-233 http://books.google.com/books?id=ouc84h0rOdUC&pg=PA233&lpg=PA233&dq=Chang+Hs%C3%BCeh-ch%27eng&source=web&ots=bAuAekgeDD&sig=K_KWc2jD8eQ0tLh-VBw8A8GoWTE&hl=en&ei=4fKPSdO4MM-X-gajjKSmCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA230,M1 (retrieved on Feb. 9, 2009)