First of all, it gives an overview of the Xue family in the west of Wuxi.
Xue Fucheng's ancestral home is Cangxi, Sichuan, and his father and ancestors passed on the line with poems and rituals.
The first generation of Xue moved to Xue Jingjue (Xue Fucheng Gaozu), a juren of Kangxi Dynasty. He used to be the magistrate of Guangshan County, Henan Province, and moved to Sitou Village, Beixiang (now Xizhang Town), Wuxi. His son, Xue Fucheng's great-grandfather, Xue Daosun, was a great scholar during the Qianlong period. He wrote poems about hooking Yun Xuan and swimming grass. At the end of Qianlong period, Xue Yutang, the father of Xue Fucheng, was a scholar, served as a magistrate in Qingyang and Luzhou, and wrote Poems of Painting and Calligraphy, which intersected with Gao E. His grandfather Xue Jintang was unfavorable in the imperial examination and died as a scholar. Xue Fucheng's father, Xiang Xue, was a scholar in Daoguang period. He once worked in Anfu, Xinning County, Hunan Province, and Zhou Xun, Guangxi Province. He is the author of Shuo Wen Duan Yi and Yu Yu Zhai Poetry Collection. Uncle Ling Xue is a famous teacher in this city, and he wrote "Preparation for Jing Yi", which was highly valued by Jiangsu Governor Lin Zexu and others. At this time, the Xue family began to settle in the west area of the city, which was called "Xue family in the west of Wuxi" in history. Xue Fucheng * * * six brothers, eldest brother Chen Fu is Xianfeng dynasty juren, officer to Douchayuan left vice suggestion; Fu Xiong is a Tongzhi juren, and the official to Buzheng is the title of Zhejiang Ningshaotai.
Xue Fucheng, a native of Wuxi, studied under Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang successively, and served as the provincial judge of Ningshao Taidao, the minister of Hunan, and the ambassador to Britain, France, Italy and Belgium. He was a famous thinker, diplomat and one of the representatives of early reformists in modern China. Diligent and pragmatic all his life, worrying about the country and the people; Advocating learning from the west and building a country with industry and commerce; Advocate reform and reform, and push for "constitutional monarchy." His thoughts have greatly promoted the development of social modernization and the rise of national industry and commerce in China. Xue Fucheng's two poems are a true portrayal of his life "though dying, he is eager to shine by day".
Xue Fucheng has four sons and three daughters. Among them, the eldest son, Ji Yun, whose real name was Nan Ai, was a juren in Guangxu period, and once worked for Li Hongzhang. After that, he gave up his official position and turned to industry. 188 1 started to operate cocoon business, 1896 co-founded silk reeling factory with others, and later set up Yongtai silk industry group, becoming a famous national capitalist in modern times. In Sanziying, most of Fu Cheng's works were compiled and published by him.
Xue Nanming has three sons and seven daughters. Xue, the eldest son, was born in Jiangsu province and a member of parliament during the Beiyang warlord government. The second son, Xue, is the son-in-law of Yuan Shikai and the Tianjin negotiator of Zhu Yupu, the military supervisor of Beiyang government. The youngest son, Xue Xuelian, named Shouxuan, is the most famous. He studied at the University of Illinois, USA, and is proficient in modern enterprise management. He was smart and capable, inherited and expanded his father's career, and led Yongtai Group to turn the tide when the silk industry in China went from peak to decline, enjoying a high reputation in the southeast and even the whole country. Xue Shouxuan also won the reputation of "King of Silk Industry".
Second, the characteristics of Xue Fucheng family cultural traditions
Since the Xue Fucheng family moved to Xi in the early Qing Dynasty, it first took Confucianism as its profession and paid attention to poetry and etiquette, and gradually became a famous industrial family, forming a unique family cultural tradition. To sum up, there are the following characteristics.
1. Reading is wise, and all transactions are based on it.
"Reading and knowing" is a very remarkable feature in the family cultural tradition of Xue Fucheng in Wuxi in Qing Dynasty. According to Xue Fucheng's grandfather Xue Jintang, "A scholar is a family, but a scholar is a loser ... It is not proud to study, but only for future generations." It can be seen that Xue Jintang pays great attention to guiding children to establish reading as understanding, rather than blindly pursuing the concept of wealth. Under the background of the cultural tradition of "learning to be excellent and becoming an official" and the prevalence of imperial examinations, this change in the concept of reading for the sake of brightness rather than seeking glory is very intriguing.
What deserves people's attention is that the cultural tradition of Xue Fucheng family also has the concept of reading everything, which can be found in family training. Family Instructions of Xue Fucheng is compiled from 6 articles of various schools/kloc-0, which is a collection of family instructions such as Record of the Holy Spirit, Wengong Jiayuan and Zhengyi Family Law. One of them is "Zhuang Yuyun", which says: "Everything in the world is always accompanied by interests. Only reading is beneficial and harmless. Regardless of whether you are rich or poor, young or old, rich or poor, you will have a volume when you read it, and you will benefit from reading it one day. " The formulation of "don't ask the rich and the poor, don't ask the young and the old, don't ask the rich and the poor" here is essentially different from the previous statement of "learning a career according to qualifications". It can be seen that the Xue family in Wuxi, as a modern industrial and commercial family, formed a value orientation similar to the enlightenment thought of "business-oriented" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Business and industry can have the same career path, which is the deeper connotation behind Wuxi Xue Fucheng family's "reading and understanding" and the key point of the formation of this family's cultural tradition.
2. Family education, paying equal attention to men and women
As an important aspect of family cultural tradition, Xue Fucheng family attaches great importance to the education of their children. A woman who marries the Xue family must first have cultural accomplishment, so as to teach her husband and children well. From Xue Fucheng's great-grandmothers, the Hsu and Guggenheim, to her mother, the Guggenheim, and the eldest daughter-in-law, the Oh. Born in a scholarly family, Xu Shi, a well-educated woman, "recited poems since childhood, and famous sentences belong to the loom." It was she who put forward "I don't envy your family, I don't take luxury goods;" The standard for the Xue family to choose a wife is "to be a virtuous wife and brag about reading seeds." At that time, the Xue family was still poor, but Xu Shi could pay attention to selecting virtuous daughters to cultivate "reading seeds" and was very knowledgeable. My mother, Gu, was born in a noble family in Xicheng. She grew up in a Confucian family atmosphere for generations and received a good family education. Wu is a native of Tongcheng, Anhui Province. He is very famous in the world. His father is a tutor of Shi Jing University and can write articles. Affected by the environment, she is also a sensible woman. These well-educated women have become a shining link in Xue Fucheng's family cultural chain and an important member of Xue's family cultural heritage.
As the natural result of women's important role in education, Xue Fucheng's family education has an important feature of paying equal attention to men and women. As early as Guangxu 17 (189 1), Xue Fucheng once said: "Anyone who has reached the age of eight and is not a scholar will be guilty of his parents. There are no men who don't learn, and there are no women who don't learn. " Xue Fucheng's thought was more than 12 years earlier than the "national compulsory education" introduced by the "Guimao academic system" in early 1904. This educational thought of giving preference to boys not only benefited and embodied the development of Xue's women's education, but also was a progressive reform thought for China at that time. Xue Fucheng's granddaughter Xue Xiuqun is a typical example. She has enlightened and progressive cultural and educational ideas. She once said with great appreciation that "in western Thailand, there is no distinction between men and women in military punishment, finance and taxation politics, and they are all learned and taught." Therefore, the more knowledge they have, the stronger they are. " She also shouted, "China sticks to the worn-out political system, its scholarship, and its desire to co-prosper with the new moon, so it can be safe?" Direct education must be a "general education" for men and women, and what they learn must include advanced political system and academic knowledge, not just the skills of making weapons and passing guns to ships. She also actively started to build new schools, trying to "promote women's studies in the state, which will be the basis of future national education." (Xue Epitaph) On the one hand, her proposition and practice reflected that she had received an advanced and comprehensive education since she was a child, on the other hand, it also revealed the new characteristics of modern Xue Fucheng family women's education. Xue Fucheng's other two granddaughters (eldest sister and grandson Xue's second sister) also graduated from Shanghai Girls' School, both of whom are proficient in literature and history. This is true of Xue's women's education, not to mention the boys at home.
3. Promote practical learning and apply it to the world.
Although many people in Xue Fucheng's family took part in the imperial examinations, they also advocated applying what they have learned. Xiang Xue, the father of Xue Fucheng, is a scholar who is proficient in astronomy, geography, storytelling, imagery, the words of military strategists and classical Chinese poetry. Influenced by family traditions and family studies, Xue Fucheng questioned the imperial examination road of "specializing in stereotyped writing and six rhymes, only discussing things and abandoning facts", and began to yearn for the theory of "putting things into practice" advocated by senior thinkers such as Lin Zexu, Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan. As he said in the future, "Fu Cheng is the worst among scholars. At the age of twelve or thirteen, he forced himself to steal mountains to learn from the world for the country's daily use. He abandoned everything and devoted himself to it. " As a result, Xue Fucheng changed from studying stereotyped writing and six laws to studying practical learning, and made a great wish of "saving the nation from extinction and rejuvenating the world", determined to shape himself into a "scholar with real talent and practical learning". Xue Xiuqun's cry that "our country sticks to the dilapidated political system, its scholarship, and its desire to share prosperity with the rising sun and the new moon, in order to resist national subjugation, so it can achieve peace" also shows that she is very advocating practical learning.
4. Comply with the times and actively transform.
With the continuous development of the times and the continuous spread of capitalism, the Xue Fucheng family, who took Confucianism as their profession and paid attention to poetry, actively participated in the historical transformation process of keeping pace with the times. Xue Fucheng wrote "On Election" in 1864, which severely criticized the imperial examination system and was roughly the beginning of the reform. However, Xue's children and even women have left their families to study in new schools, and housewives have also gone out to teach, which has deepened the transformation. For example, Xue Shouxuan (Xue Fucheng's grandson)' s elder sister and second sister both graduated from Shanghai Mo Yan Girls' School, and the elder sister also worked as an English teacher. In addition, Xue Jiadi also expanded the way of studying abroad and learned advanced science and technology. Around the Revolution of 1911, Beijing Tsinghua University sent young students to study abroad. Xue Nanming's second son, Xue, was the first choice. He went to study in the United States in the summer of 1949. The following winter, Xue Shouxuan, the youngest son of South Australia, went to America at his own expense. Zhang Hongding, son-in-law of Xue Nanxuan, also studied in Japan. This great change in family education is undoubtedly the basis for Xue Fucheng's family to realize all-round transformation, bringing about all-round transformation in culture (from practical learning to modern civilization), politics (from feudal bureaucratic class to emerging bourgeoisie) and economy (becoming the founder of the first generation of modern national industry in China, and the first enterprise of the Xue family, Yongtai Silk Factory, was founded in 1896), becoming Wuxi and Jiangnan in modern times.
Third, the educational activities of the Xue Fucheng family.
A family's cultural tradition and educational activities are inseparable. Although the former can often include the latter, from a certain point of view, they have a specific relationship that develops in interaction. Under the influence of excellent cultural traditions, Xue Fucheng family's educational activities have also formed their own characteristics in terms of educational purposes, educational contents and educational methods, providing rich nutrients for the development of Xue Fucheng family culture and style of study.
1. Educational purpose. According to the characteristics of Xue Fucheng's family culture tradition in Qing Dynasty, such as "erudition" and "statesmanship", its educational purpose is very clear: focus on cultivating available talents with integrity and great ambition to serve the world and the country, instead of being limited to the traditional pursuit of official career and glory of ancestors. This is the true meaning of the Xue Fucheng family's "not proud of reading, but only for future generations". This educational aim has had a very far-reaching impact on Xue's later generations' study and life, and it can be said that many historical contributions of the Xue Fucheng family can be attributed to this. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tradition of attaching importance to educating people has long been abandoned by the rigid imperial examination, and attaching importance to personality education is particularly valuable. This educational purpose of the Xue Fucheng family is commendable.
2. Educational content. Related to the family's cultural tradition, Xue's education for his children has a wide range of contents, including both traditional contents and western courses. Judging from the reading list given to children by Xue Fucheng, Xue Jia School has fixed courses every day, including traditional learning contents such as composition, ancient prose, writing, poetry and famous works. It is not difficult to judge from the tradition of Xue Fucheng family attaching importance to practical learning and the western education advocated by Xue Fucheng granddaughter Xue Xiuqun. There are also various practical and western courses in Xue education. According to the children's memories, Xue Nanming, the eldest son of Xue Fucheng, once hired Wuxi local scholars Yang, Jiang and others as their science and math teachers. Xue Fucheng's family education curriculum embodies the characteristics of pragmatic, enlightened and open family education content.
3. Educational methods. Xue Fucheng's educational methods pay attention to the combination of new methods and traditions, which are flexible and diverse. In addition to traditional methods such as helping education and kindness, there are similes and satires, learning from each other and guiding self-study.
(1) Clever metaphor and irony. Xue Fucheng's mother is good at educating her children in this way. She once told her children: "Some people can study, enjoy titles and honor their parents. Some people are illiterate, dirty and humiliating, and are on the verge of death. " Let the son smell "Listen to the sweat and dare not run away." Xue Fucheng spoke highly of his mother's teaching methods: "I was originally taught by the Fucheng brothers, but I am tired of teaching." This clever metaphor is completely different from the traditional way of scolding and flogging, and it is also different from the general teaching. Inspire children's competitive psychology with clever innuendo, so as to achieve the effect that forced pressure is difficult to achieve. It is amazing that an ordinary housewife should use this method so skillfully!
(2) Interactive learning. In the process of reading, Fucheng brothers often learn from each other, encourage each other and learn from each other's strengths. Several brothers live in the same room. "During the day, they look at history and question doubts; In the evening, Eden sat around and discussed the micro-purpose of sage education and the gains and losses of chaos in ancient and modern times. "Among brothers, he and his fourth brother, Fu Bao, have a deeper brotherhood. At first, Xue was interested in "attacking ancient prose and thinking endlessly". Xue Fucheng didn't agree with this, and asked Fu Bao, "Times have changed, but a scholar never meets. When learning is useful, will Hu Weiwei be at the end of literature and art? " But Fu Bao plausibly replied, "Otherwise. The best of husband's prose is Tao, and the best of ancient Chinese prose is a great man since ancient times. For example, Jia Yi's neglect, Dong Zhongshu's strategy, Zhuge Wuhou's example, and Lu's amnesty for the world, they did not rely solely on the power of articles to mediate the world and encourage people's hearts. And it's embarrassing. "In this debate, both brothers have their own opinions and are inspired by each other. Xue Fucheng began to work hard on language, writing and writing techniques, and later became a master of political theory and prose. Fu Bao also began to study practical learning and explore the strategy of governing the country, and later took to the political stage.
(3) Guide self-study. During the growth of Fucheng's children, his father Xiang Xue was strict with them, and there were many ways to guide Fucheng's brothers to teach themselves. He once instructed the Fucheng brothers to study, saying, "Read the classics and history, read a hundred philosophers at the same time, and read Zhu's" A Record of Recent Thoughts "for reference." He also asked them to "make a comprehensive investigation of those who have made outstanding art since the Ming Dynasty and learn from them, so that they can trace back to the source and learn a lot." Under the guidance of his father, the Xue brothers laid a solid foundation of Chinese studies. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement broke out, under the inspiration of social reality, Xue Fucheng devoted himself to "practical learning" and read widely, from astronomy to geography, even to Lu Wang's "mind study" and even to Yin and Yang and divination. Of course, this self-study method also benefits from the influence of Naif's self-study method.
Xue Fucheng's wise educational aim, pragmatic and open educational content and flexible and innovative educational methods provide fertile ground for the growth of children in Xue Fucheng.
Fourthly, the influence of family culture on Xue Fucheng's family history.
The unique family cultural tradition of Xue Fucheng family has exerted an indelible influence on the important contributions made by several generations of Xue family in personnel training, industrial and commercial economy, ideology and culture.
1. Lay the foundation for the emergence of diverse and excellent family talents.
The Xue Fucheng family's cultural tradition of advocating practical learning and paying attention to all walks of life has laid a solid foundation for the family to cultivate diversified talents. This diversified talent means that Xue's children have made achievements in different fields: among them, the most prominent are modern celebrities, such as Xue Fucheng, an outstanding thinker and diplomat, Xue Nanxuan, an early industrialist, and Xue Shouxuan, the eldest son of Xue Nanxuan, who was elected as a member of parliament in Jiangsu Province, and the second son of Xue Shouxuan, who works in the Beijing Foreign Ministry. Xue Shouxuan's elder sister is an English teacher, and Xue Xiuqun is trying to promote women's studies in this state. The diversified development path of Xue Fucheng's children is closely related to the family's background of attaching importance to education, paying equal attention to men and women, and advocating practical learning. It is the characteristics of Xue family studies that make the education received by Xue family's younger brother break through the limitations of gender and traditional Confucian classics. Only by learning what you want to learn and thinking about what you want can you make achievements and make unique contributions at different levels of society such as politics, industry and education. The characteristics of education have created talents with characteristics. This is the Xue Fucheng family.
2. Provide impetus for the transition to a modern industrial family.
"All trades are the foundation" is the focus of Xue Fucheng's family cultural tradition, that is, both industry and commerce are business, which is similar to the enlightenment thought of "all trades are the foundation" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. This kind of value orientation made aristocratic men pay attention to practical application and advocate practical learning in the process of studying, and also made the Xue Fucheng family gradually embark on the road of modern industry and commerce, and realized the successful transformation from the traditional imperial examination home to the modern industry and commerce home. It is under the guidance of the value orientation of "all businesses are the foundation" that Xue Nanming sent out the feeling that "China is not a poor country, but it suffers from poverty every day, and the way to save the country lies in enriching the people" and embarked on the road of abandoning officials and working. With the unremitting efforts of Xue Nanming and Xue Shouxuan, Xue Yongtai Group has become the overlord of China silk industry, and its position can be described as "walking under your feet and not running out of Xue Jia's house". Therefore, Xue became the third largest family business after Rong's and Tang's enterprises at that time, which not only promoted Wuxi's economic development and social progress, but also had an important influence and role in the southeast and even the whole country. All these are deeply rooted in the family values of "all trades are fundamental".
3. Provide nutrients for the contribution in ideological and cultural fields.
The contribution of Xue's children in the field of modern ideology and culture also benefited from their unique family culture. It is precisely because of the influence of the family's thought of being practical and pragmatic that Xue Fucheng had an important influence on the rise of China's modern democratic thought, and eventually moved towards the reform road of advocating the development of capitalist economy, and also formed his pragmatic, flexible and unique "concept of peace and war" and diplomatic thought. In addition, he and his granddaughter Xue Xiuqun's ideas and explorations in popularizing education and learning western culture, as well as Xue Shouxuan's series of contributions in introducing western business management experience, can be said to have benefited from the influence of family education tradition and absorbed the nutrients provided by the fertile soil of family culture.
In a word, the distinctive cultural tradition of Xue Fucheng family is worth cherishing. It is a vivid example of Jiangnan culture since Ming and Qing Dynasties, and its contribution to the family and even modern China is an important historical heritage worth remembering.
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