Abstract
Xiong was the originator and founder of Modern Confucianism (xin
ruxue ) as well as one of the first Chinese philosophers, who
developed his own system of thought, which was based upon classical
Confucian concepts and, at the same time, adjusted to the conditions
of the New Era. His contribution to the development of modern Chinese philosophy
can also be demonstrated in a much broader, general sense. Xiong
Shili, namely, also represents one of the first theoretically qualified
intellectuals of his age, who didn’t advocate the conservative elitist
nationalism, but at the same time opposed the prevailing trends of
iconoclastic negation of tradition. Even later on, during the predomination
of the so-called communist ideologies, Xiong rather consequently
persisted in his—for that time completely unacceptable—
standpoints.Thus Xiong Shili, remaining a real Confucian scholar at a
time, when Confucianism was everything else but the prevailing state
doctrine, doubtless represents a real traditional sage. For him, Confucianism
was not solely the predominating system of thought, to which
he should formally conform in order to achieve the realization of
some privileges and private interests. He was a Confucian scholar by
following his own inner conviction, or, with other words, he was a
Confucian “inner sage.” Hereby,we encounter an extremely rare kind
of Confucian scholars, namely of those, who did not remain limited to
a paper-wrapped reproduction of idealistic principles of Confucian
thought, but who also tried to perform them in their own life. Xiong’s
personal moral was the ethics of a Confucian scholar, who can be a
gentle, subtle thinker and a steadfast, consequent rebel at the same
time.