Between Tradition and Modernity: Xie Wuliang and the Transformation of Modern Shu Learning

In 1910, when the Sichuan School for Preserving Ancient Learning was established, Xie Wuliang—an advocate of Western learning with revolutionary leanings—was appointed as its superintendent. His appointment revealed a deep tension between the preservation of classical heritage and the embrace of modernity, as well as between cultural conservatism and revolutionary change. In his educational practice, Xie proposed the principle of shoujian mingtong, which called both for safeguarding the existing scholarly traditions of Shu and for systematically embracing the Western disciplinary system, with the aim of constructing a new form of Shu learning suited to the needs of the times. Previous scholarship has largely focused on the shoujian ("safeguarding the existing scholarly traditions") dimension of his thought while paying comparatively little attention to the mingtong ("embracing modern learning") aspect. In fact, shoujian primarily reflected Xie's strategic response to the circumstances of modern Shu learning, whereas mingtong represented the most innovative element of his educational philosophy. Xie Wuliang's proposal of the "Mingtong" concept marked the first attempt by modern Chinese scholars in Sichuan to comprehensively introduce Western academic disciplines. Moreover, his idea of subsuming Western scholarship under the term "science" held pioneering significance for the dissemination of scientific thought in modern China. By taking Xie Wuliang's ideas on Shu learning as a point of reference and examining how his educational philosophy aligned with or diverged from different intellectual and social forces in Sichuan, this study sheds new light on the history of modern education in the region and highlights the distinctive historical character of modern Shu learning amid the tensions between tradition and innovation.