Luo Zhenyu
Encyclopedia
Luo Zhenyu
Luo Zhenyu ( (August 8, 1866 - May 14, 1940), courtesy name: Shuyun (叔蘊) was a Chinese
classical scholar, philologist
, epigrapher, antiquarian
and Qing
loyalist.
, Luo began to publish works of agriculture
in Shanghai
after the First Sino-Japanese War
. With his friends, he set up Dongwei Xueshe (東文學社), a Japanese language
teaching school in 1896. One of the students was Wang Guowei
.
Luo first visited Japan in 1901 to study the Japanese educational system. From 1906 onwards, he held several different government posts, mostly related to agriculture. From April 1909 to February 1912 he was president of the Imperial Agricultural College
. Being a loyalist to the Qing Dynasty
, he fled to Japan after the Xinhai Revolution
, residing in Kyoto
and doing some research on Chinese archaeology. He returned to Tianjin
in China in 1919, taking part in political activities aimed at restoration of deposed Qing Emperor Puyi
to the throne of China. Luo eventually rose to become one of the three main advisors and a trusted confidant of the former emperor.
After the creation of the Empire of Manchukuo
in March 1932, Luo accepted a post in the new government from 1933-1938, insisting on maintaining Manchukuo as a monarchy
against various proposals to make it a republic
. He also served as chairman of the Japan-Manchukuo Cultural Cooperation Society. However, Luo gradually became disillusioned with the heavy-handed administration of the Japanese Kwantung Army and the lack of all real authority or political power by the nominal emperor Puyi, and resigned his positions in 1938, retiring to Dalian
.
Luo's political activities during the wartime period and association with the collaborationist Manchukuo government have tended to overshadow his undeniable accomplishments as a scholar. He toiled throughout his life to preserve Chinese antiques, especially oracle bone
s, bamboo and wooden slips (簡牘 jiandu), and Dunhuang manuscripts
, all of which are invaluable materials for understanding ancient China. He was one of the first scholars to decipher the oracle bone script
, and produced many important scholarly works researching the bronzeware script
. He helped published Liu E
's Tieyun Canggui (鐵雲藏龜), the first collection of oracle bones, and Sun Yirang
's Qiwen Juli (契文舉例), the first work of decipherment of the oracle bone script. Luo's own work Yinxu Shuqi Kaoshi (殷虛書契考釋) still occupies an important place in the study of oracle bone script.
He was also the first modern scholar to become interested in the Tangut script
, and published a number of dissertations on the subject in 1912 and 1927.
Luo Zhenyu ( (August 8, 1866 - May 14, 1940), courtesy name: Shuyun (叔蘊) was a Chinese
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...
classical scholar, philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, epigrapher, antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
loyalist.
Biography
A native of SuzhouSuzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, Luo began to publish works of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
after the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. With his friends, he set up Dongwei Xueshe (東文學社), a Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
teaching school in 1896. One of the students was Wang Guowei
Wang Guowei
Wang Guowei , courtesy name Jing'an or Baiyu , was a Chinese scholar, writer and poet...
.
Luo first visited Japan in 1901 to study the Japanese educational system. From 1906 onwards, he held several different government posts, mostly related to agriculture. From April 1909 to February 1912 he was president of the Imperial Agricultural College
China Agricultural University
China Agricultural University is a university in Beijing, People's Republic of China specializing in agriculture, biology, engineering, veterinary medicine, economics, management, humanities and social science. It was formed in 1995 through the merger of the Beijing Agricultural University and...
. Being a loyalist to the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, he fled to Japan after the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
, residing in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and doing some research on Chinese archaeology. He returned to Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
in China in 1919, taking part in political activities aimed at restoration of deposed Qing Emperor Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
to the throne of China. Luo eventually rose to become one of the three main advisors and a trusted confidant of the former emperor.
After the creation of the Empire of Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
in March 1932, Luo accepted a post in the new government from 1933-1938, insisting on maintaining Manchukuo as a monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
against various proposals to make it a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. He also served as chairman of the Japan-Manchukuo Cultural Cooperation Society. However, Luo gradually became disillusioned with the heavy-handed administration of the Japanese Kwantung Army and the lack of all real authority or political power by the nominal emperor Puyi, and resigned his positions in 1938, retiring to Dalian
Dalian
Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province, Northeast China. It faces Shandong to the south, the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, Dalian is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's...
.
Luo's political activities during the wartime period and association with the collaborationist Manchukuo government have tended to overshadow his undeniable accomplishments as a scholar. He toiled throughout his life to preserve Chinese antiques, especially oracle bone
Oracle bone
Oracle bones are pieces of bone normally from ox scapula or turtle plastron which were used for divination chiefly during the late Shang Dynasty. The bones were first inscribed with divination in oracle bone script by using a bronze pin, and then heated until crack lines appeared in which the...
s, bamboo and wooden slips (簡牘 jiandu), and Dunhuang manuscripts
Dunhuang manuscripts
The Dunhuang manuscripts is a cache of important religious and secular documents discovered in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China during the early 20th century. Dating from the 5th to early 11th centuries, the manuscripts include works ranging from history and mathematics to folk songs and dance...
, all of which are invaluable materials for understanding ancient China. He was one of the first scholars to decipher the oracle bone script
Oracle bone script
Oracle bone script refers to incised ancient Chinese characters found on oracle bones, which are animal bones or turtle shells used in divination in Bronze Age China...
, and produced many important scholarly works researching the bronzeware script
Bronzeware script
Chinese Bronze inscriptions are writing in a variety of Chinese scripts on Chinese bronze artifacts such as zhōng bells and dǐng tripodal cauldrons from the Shāng dynasty to the Zhōu dynasty and even later...
. He helped published Liu E
Liu E
Liu E , courtesy name/"zì": "Tieyun" , was a Chinese scholar, entrepreneur, and writer.-Government and politics:...
's Tieyun Canggui (鐵雲藏龜), the first collection of oracle bones, and Sun Yirang
Sun Yirang
Sun Yirang was a Chinese philologist. A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, he retired from official employment early in his life to devote himself to scholarship. His most important works are Mozi Jiangu , a corrected, definitive edition of Mozi, and Zhouli Zhengyi , an important commentary on...
's Qiwen Juli (契文舉例), the first work of decipherment of the oracle bone script. Luo's own work Yinxu Shuqi Kaoshi (殷虛書契考釋) still occupies an important place in the study of oracle bone script.
He was also the first modern scholar to become interested in the Tangut script
Tangut script
The Tangut script was a logographic writing system, used for writing the extinct Tangut language of the Western Xia Dynasty. According to the latest count, 5863 Tangut characters are known, excluding variants...
, and published a number of dissertations on the subject in 1912 and 1927.