Wei Lixian translated and published Taoist works such as Laozi, Zhuangzi and Liezi, and also wrote China's Practical Common Sense, Laozi and Taoism, China Spirit, China Cultural History, Formation and Changes of Oriental China Culture, and China Philosophy. He is a "middle school and western learning" in the history of cultural exchange between China and the West. 1897 After the German occupation of Jiaoao, he came to China to preach. From 65438 to 0899, Wei Lixian came to Qingdao, which had just become a German concession, and began his missionary career. Like any devout missionary, he came to China for the purpose of spreading the gospel of God to the broad masses of people in China. However, Wei Lixian does not belong to that kind of religious fanatic. He has a high talent and good cultivation in literature and art. Therefore, from the moment he set foot on the land of China, his interest in understanding the Chinese nation, its thoughts and culture went far beyond religious affairs.
The establishment of schools, hospitals and other charities is usually the focus of the new churches in Europe and America in "pagan areas", which is not only a part of the daily work of missionaries, but also a general means to realize their missionary mission. From the very beginning, Wei Lixian showed special interest in setting up schools for children in China. 1900 in may, he and his new wife, who had just come to China for one year, started a "Deqi-Shenxue Workshop" for boys in China in a rented house, which was small in scale with only a few students.
Later, the school plan was supported and funded by Tongshan Association. 190 1 spring, an independent school building named Richard William Surla was established, and some old China literati and new intellectuals were hired as teachers, with more than 20 students. 1903, the school moved and the scale was further expanded. Wei Lixian was awarded four top hats by the Qing government in 1906, and became a famous "Wei Daren" in Qingdao.
Many China teachers employed by Wei Lixian are old literati who are familiar with Confucian classics. Almost all of them are Juren or Gong Sheng from the Imperial Examination, and many of them are well-read. For example, Xing, a native of Pingdu, was Wei Lixian's earliest Confucian classics teacher. Wei Lixian's study, understanding and early translation of Confucian classics such as The Analects of Confucius, The University and The Book of Songs all benefited from his help. It was in the process of running a school and dealing with these old literati that Wei Lixian got a deeper understanding of China's classical culture, and his career as a sinologist began.
After the Revolution of 1911, he and Kang Youwei organized the Kong Wen Society in Qingdao. The Analects of Confucius, Tao Te Ching, Liezi, Zhuangzi, Mencius, Yijing, Lv Chunqiu and The Book of Rites have all been translated into German, but they are still reprinted in the west. 1920 left.