Or dignitaries, or heroic soldiers; Or a gentry and a refined gentleman, or a grass-roots man, reading is a complex that traditional China people can't give up. Extensive reading is also a great hobby of Chiang Kai-shek.
193 1 published the first episode and the second volume of "Introspection of Chiang Kai-shek", which contains his book selection catalogue, which can roughly reflect Chiang Kai-shek's reading situation in his youth and middle age. There are 43 kinds of books listed in this catalogue, which can be roughly divided into three categories: 1. Confucian classics, pre-Qin philosophers and other literature and history books: The Five Classics, Four Books, Confucius' Family History, Zuo Zhuan, Warring States Policy, Liu Tao, Sun Tzu, Woods and Guan Zi. Second, military books, in addition to the aforementioned Six Towers and Sun Tzu's Art of War, also include the history of popularizing the law, Naishi's war history, Japanese-Russian war history, European war history, bulke tactics, war justice and various military sciences. The third is the collection of celebrity works: the collection of celebrity works such as Zhuge Wuhou, Yue Zhongwu, Wen Wenshan, Qi Wuyi, Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi, Zuo, Luo and Li Hongzhang.
In the postscript, he wrote: "The right-handed calligrapher personally selected and studied it carefully, and attached it here." From this point of view, Chiang Kai-shek's reading of these books is by no means a cursory look, but a "close reading".
Neo-Confucianism after the Song Dynasty took "university" as the program of governing the country, and Chiang Kai-shek seemed to be no exception. In his book "The New Meaning of the Doctrine of the Mean in Universities", he wrote: "We know that politics is to manage everyone's affairs. The book "University" has brought personal inner cultivation and external development to the extreme. It can be said that all the basic principles in politics are just like this. "
He also said that the rule of the country should be guided by the golden mean: "All political and legal systems and politicians' attitudes towards actions should be polite, that is, appropriate. Otherwise, it will be too late, so it will be chaotic and not political. "
Chiang Kai-shek also admired Mencius. He said to Jiang Jingguo: "The articles in Mencius are excellent, which is beyond the reach of other books."
1936 after the Xi incident, Chiang Kai-shek, who was in prison, waited for a moment before he realized it. Besides reading the Bible every day, he also "reads Mencius". Regarding the Book of Changes, he also has his own unique view: "Recently, I have been busy reading the Book of Changes every day, and my conscious spirit and academic ability have improved." But this book will not benefit easily in less than fifty years. "
Like most traditional intellectuals, Chiang Kai-shek attached great importance to family education and moral cultivation for future generations. In this respect, Zeng Guofan's letter is the best teaching material.
1On April 27th, 937, he wrote to Jiang Jingguo, saying, "As for the reading and writing methods of Chinese, Ceng Gong's family instructions and letters are very detailed. If you can read his family instructions and letters in detail, you will become a politician in China spiritually and morally, and you can't forget that his time is over. After the "Lugouqiao Incident" broke out, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was launched nationwide. Chiang Kai-shek did not forget to tell Guo Jing that "you should concentrate on learning Chinese at this time".
Chiang Kai-shek in his later years had a good understanding of Wang Yangming's mind. 1969, he specially wrote an article to explain his views: "More importantly, Wang Yangming's theory of the integration of knowledge and practice, that is, out of Lu Xiangshan's simple method, teaches people to invent the initial heart first." Only when this heart is established can we cope with the changes in the world. "
As a strategist, military books occupy a considerable proportion in the "hand-selected" bibliography. Among them, his most admired art books are Sun Zi and books by Qi Jiguang, Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi. 1929 65438+ 10/2, he said in "Spiritual Speech": "Many precious ancient books in China are important books for military management ... especially Thirteen Articles of the Art of War is the most important rule for China to run the army."
"We must read some books about teaching soldiers to train. In addition to the prime minister's books, the first is Qi Jiguang's training record, and the second is Zeng Guofan's and Hu Linyi's books. By studying these three books, we can know the psychology of China people. You will know what kind of training the best soldiers in China need. On August 24th, 194 1, he wrote to Jiang Jingguo: "At this time (fifty years old), you should read more books and letters from Ceng Wenzheng and Hu Linyi. "
Chiang Kai-shek did not fully accept China's traditional classics. 1932 On February 29th, Hu Shi and Chiang Kai-shek had dinner with Chen Lifu, Gu and others in Hankou. Because there was no chance to talk to Jiang alone, Hu Shi gave him a copy of Huai Nan Zi. Why did Hu Shi give Huai Nan Zi to Chiang Kai-shek? 1July 26, 935, Hu Shi wrote in a letter to Luo Longji that according to his observation, Chiang Kai-shek was in charge of too much, and "a little doubt is close to scrutiny, but not trivial".
I first met Chiang Kai-shek in Hankou. "When he left, he gave him a book" Huainan Book "to let him pay a little attention to the essence of Huainan inaction." He added: "I wrote to Mr. Jiang for the first time last year and expressed this idea slightly, but he didn't seem to agree. He misunderstood my meaning and thought that I advocated the theory of "a gentleman is a minister-oriented". ...... I mean, I hope he understands the general principles of the government, defines his authority, and does not' invade officials' or exceed his authority. That's all. " Huainan said, "A person in a high position is like a corpse ... Although a corpse can skin a dog and burn it, it is also a blessing. Fu neng, no loss. This seems to be a superficial training, but today's politicians can't do it. "
Chiang Kai-shek, who is at the top of power, will not take into account Hu Shi's good intentions. Scholars seek for the country, and most of them speak out bravely and ignore the rest. As we all know, a scholar can know the ups and downs in the political power struggle. No matter how hard Hu Shi worked, there was only one result.
As a politician, Chiang Kai-shek certainly disapproved of reading and books. "Everything you have learned must be applicable. If you just memorize its methods into sentences and can't apply them, then learning will be in vain. ...... So when you study, always let your heart understand that it is good to use it in the fields. Applying what you have learned is the key to reading. Understand this, Hu Shi's cold reception is not surprising! "
According to Xi's Half-Monthly Talk, after Chiang Kai-shek moved to Gaozhai in the afternoon of 1936 12 14, Zhang Xueliang rudely criticized Chiang Kai-shek for being "too autocratic". "Chairman Yu Jue's thinking is too right and too old." "Chairman of the book is everything is done and Mozi. Is it too old? " Chiang Kai-shek disagreed with Zhang Xueliang and retorted, "Is your new book based on Marx's Das Kapital and Communism?" ..... I watched it many times 15 years ago. "
Chiang Kai-shek's remarks are by no means groundless and nonsense. In fact, as early as the May 4th Movement, he studied Chen Duxiu's New Youth and Luo Jialun's New Tide, and read the works of Dewey and Hu Shi. What a bloody young man, pointing out the direction and inspiring words!
From about 1923 to 1926, Chiang Kai-shek began to dabble in Marxist-Leninist works, and learned from them and recorded them carefully. The books on his desk include Introduction to Marxist Theory and Manifesto. He wrote in his diary on September 24th, 1923: "I read the Introduction to Marxist Theory today and found it quite interesting. I can't understand the first half, and I will go if I reject it. After reading the second half, you will be more enlightened and reluctant to let go!
In 1925 165438+ in October, Chiang Kai-shek made a preface for the third classmate record of Huangpu Military Academy, and he clearly put forward the oath that "the spirit comes from matter, the universe has only one origin, and I will die for the Three People's Principles, that is, communism". Explain that the Marxist viewpoint has a deep influence on it!
As a historical figure, people have different opinions on Chiang Kai-shek's merits and demerits. Finding and interpreting a person in ordinary life is a shortcut to restore the historical truth.