Tang Chun-I or Tang Junyi (, 17 January 1909 – 2 February 1978) was a Chinese philosopher who was one of the leading exponents of New Confucianism. Born in Sichuan, he moved to Hong Kong in 1949 due to the establishment of the People's Republic of China and co-founded New Asia College with the dual objective of modernizing China while upholding its traditional values.
Tang's philosophy emphasized the concept of harmony between individuals and the universe, distinguishing his viewpoint from dualistic perspectives. He championed the notion of a moral metaphysical reality and explored the alignment of the ethical self with truth. His exploration of the intersection of ethics and metaphysics culminated in the formulation of the Nine Horizons, a framework encompassing various aspects of human understanding.
Tang's lasting influence on East Asian philosophy can be attributed to his efforts to blend traditional Confucian principles with Western philosophical ideas, including ideas from [Plato]] and Hegel. Despite his passing in 1978, his ideas continue to exert influence, shaping discussions concerning ethics, metaphysics, and the intricate relationship between individual existence and the broader universe.
Biography
Tang, the son of a wealthy scholar, was the first born of six children in Sichuan, China. Tang was briefly a student of Liang Shuming before transferring to National Central University. In 1927, Tang became a follower of Xiong Shili after attending a series of lectures. He graduated from National Central University in 1933, soon after becoming a lecturer there. In 1940, Tang met his colleague and lifelong friend Mou Zongsan. In 1943 he married Tse Ting Kwong, an educational psychology graduate. 1944 he joined the National Central University Philosophy Department as a full-time professor, and later he even became head of the department. Only five years later, in 1949, Tang left Mainland China to live in Hong Kong, as part of an exodus of Chinese intellectuals to the British colony.
Tang went into exile in Hong Kong in 1949, after the declaration of the People's Republic of China, living there for the rest of his life. There he helped found the New Asia College, which was integrated into the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1963. He served as the founding chairman and the first Chair Professor of the Department of Philosophy of CUHK. Tang's time in Hong Kong was marked by his mission to salvage traditional Chinese culture in a time when China was ruled by an anti-traditionalist government. He established New Asia College, which to Tang symbolized his ambitious plan to save Chinese culture. Tang was particularly fixated on the fact that New Asia College was established exactly 2500 years after the birth of Confucius, often claiming that the timing was not merely coincidental, but significant as it marked a new era in Chinese history. In the 1970s, he became one of the members of the school board of New Asia Middle School.
His work has mainly been influential in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States. In 2009, a bronze statue was erected in the New Asia College campus to celebrate his centenary.
Philosophy
Tang is most associated with New Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism. In his study of Contemporary New Ru Learning, Fang Keli identified Tang as part of the second generation of New Confucians, along with Mou Zongsan and Xu Fuguan. In 1958 Tang, Mou, Xu, and Zhang Zhunmai co-authored A Manifesto on Chinese Culture Respectfully Announced to the People of the World. The manifesto was an effort to revive Confucianism likely directed at Chinese people who favored adopting Western values.
Tang believed the message of Confucianism was the affirmation of human life as it exists. He contrasts Confucianism with Christianity and Buddhism, religions that promote human transcendence over the physical world or the acceptance of the physical world as an illusion, respectfully.
While Tang advocated for a new embrace of Confucianism, he never promoted specific political orders associated with Confucianism, nor did he propose any new political order based on his philosophies. Instead, Tang examined existing political alternatives through a Confucian lens. Liberal democracy was the political order most consistent with Confucianism because they both rest upon the idea that all humans are endowed with equal humanity.
Tang's work primarily deals with three issues: traditional Chinese philosophy, ethics and metaphysics (the two of which are fundamentally intertwined in his work), and Chinese culture.