Carrying forward the spirit of new historiography in the heavy inheritance of traditional culture, he inherited the pulse of Southeast Studies | Modern Chinese History | Liang Qichao

Mr. Tang Zhijun is an internationally renowned historian with outstanding achievements and outstanding works. He has been deeply studying Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Zhang Taiyan, the three great thinkers in modern Chinese history, for years. His series of works, such as "A History of the Wuxu Reform" and "Biographies of the Wuxu Reform Figures," have laid a solid foundation for the study of the Wuxu Reform and modern intellectual history. Mr. Tang takes reading as the foundation of his livelihood, and serves the people with his talent and academic achievements. He is a model of contemporary Chinese scholars.

On July 9th, at the celebration of Mr. Tang Zhijun's centenary and his academic thoughts seminar hosted by the Institute of History, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Director Guo Changgang reviewed Mr. Tang's work process. In 1956, Tang Zhijun was recruited to the Shanghai Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At that time, he was only 32 years old and in his prime. During his work at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, he wrote and edited over 50 books, published hundreds of papers, and made significant contributions to the academic career of the institute. After retirement, Mr. Tang's research work did not stop, and his edited "Complete Works of Liang Qichao" won the first prize in 2022 Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Works. Mr. Tang is not only a veteran of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, but also a pride of the academic community in Shanghai. In the video connection with the seminar, Mr. Tang encouraged young scholars to maintain a persistent and persevering academic attitude, firmly adhere to their original aspirations, and aspire to study.

An Example of Combining Traditional Historical Research with Marxism

At the seminar, Wang Dezhong, President of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that Mr. Tang's knowledge is an example of combining traditional Chinese knowledge with Marxist historiography. Mr. Tang was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu, with a deep family background and a good education in traditional culture since childhood. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Tang Zhijun made efforts to guide his historical practice with historical materialism. Mr. Tang has achieved fruitful academic achievements in the fields of the history of the Wuxu Reform, the Xinhai Revolution, Kang Youwei, Zhang Taiyan, and Liang Qichao. This is due to his expertise in the field of Confucian classics and history, as well as his conscious use of the analytical methods of historical materialism in his research.

Ms. Liang Xuan, the granddaughter of Liang Qichao, stated in her speech that my grandfather wrote a large number of works over a hundred years ago to inspire people's wisdom and save the nation, many of which were reflections and insights on how the Chinese nation and human society can better develop. Mr. Tang Zhijun and Mr. Tang Renze devoted the efforts of two generations to publishing the beautifully printed and easily readable Complete Works of Liang Qichao. In this 15 million word collection, not only can we see my grandfather's articles and thoughts, but it also showcases to the world the noble character of Mr. Tang and his son, who are tenacious, shoulder heavy responsibilities bravely, and have been dedicated to inheriting Chinese cultural ideas for decades.

According to Ouyang Hong, editor and reviewer of Zhonghua Book Company, Mr. Tang is a senior in the field of modern Chinese history research and has a deep friendship with Zhonghua Book Company. From the late 1970s to the 1990s, Mr. Tang's modern literature and research works were successively published in the book company, including "Selected Works of Zhang Taiyan's Political Theory", "Collected Works of Kang Youwei's Political Theory", "Kang Youwei and the Wuxu Reform", and so on. These works and historical materials reflect Mr. Tang's solid academic style and astonishing academic ability, and have also become highly influential masterpieces launched by the bookstore, receiving praise both domestically and internationally.

Academic research should have a global perspective

Sima Chaojun, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, believes that Mr. Tang has made remarkable achievements in the study of Confucian classics and history. His "Zhang Taiyan Chronicles Compilation" is a classic document completed in a difficult environment, which has played a pioneering role in Zhang Taiyan's life and academic research. Mr. Tang continued to supplement, strive for excellence, and greatly improve his spinal wheel, which was indispensable. Using a Seven Rhymes poem to express sincere admiration: Changzhou's unparalleled century old soup, half out of the Shang Wang and half out of the Zhuang. Famous historians uphold morality and righteousness, and pass on the classics to Fan Yangxuan Hall. Be careful of the dead end and open a new path, boldly continue the old chapter in the mysterious pavilion. Having traveled all over Japan, I achieved my own success and enjoyed watching the ink sea turn into fields and mulberry trees.

Professor Qu Jun from East China Normal University believes that Mr. Tang is a renowned historian both domestically and internationally. He inherits the Southeast Asian academic tradition since the Republic of China and carries forward the spirit of new historiography, making him a leading figure in the study of modern Chinese history in Shanghai. He persisted in combining Marxism with excellent traditional Chinese culture and made outstanding contributions to the development of Shanghai's historiography in the profound inheritance of culture. Mr. Tang advocates for a global perspective in academic research, and he himself has done a lot of pioneering work for academic exchanges between China and foreign countries.