Zhang Binglin - Legacy

Legacy

During previous decades, Chinese thinkers have institutionalized history—for example, many claimed that communism represented China’s failure to fully modernize. However, recently, thinkers are beginning to develop a critical version of history based on Zhang’s writings in order to question the legitimacy of contemporary capitalist society. The current notion of Chinese philosophy as an academic field of study first appeared during the 20th century. In 1918, Hu Shih published “An Outline of the History of Chinese philosophy”. In the preface of this book, Chinese educator Cai Yuanpei wrote:

“There has been no systematic recording of classical Chinese learning. All we have are very pedestrian accounts. If we wish to compose a systemic account of classical learning, the studies :of Antiquity are of no help, and we have no other way but follow the criteria of histories of philosophy in the West. In other words, only those who have studied the history of western :philosophy can determine the appropriate form of exposition."

Ultimately, Zhang's most important contribution to the field of Chinese philosophy was "to show that it was possible, at least on an elementary level, to assert the validity of a ‘traditional’, namely Chinese Buddhist conceptual framework while simultaneously redefining individual notions, such as the boundaries of the logical realm, in accordance with a Western-derived understanding.’ Zhang ultimately showed students and contemporary intellectuals that ancient Chinese ideas could be brought back to life through the dialectic of Yogacara Buddhism. He also used ancient Chinese philosophic thought and Yogacara Buddhism as a framework to critique the political climate of his contemporary world. His deep understanding of Yogacara concepts allowed him to go beyond a critique of nationalistic politics and question the very foundations of the principles of modernity.