徐桐:中国近代务虚的守旧官僚典型

XU Tong:Model of Conservative Bureaucrat in Modern China

体仁阁大学士徐桐是晚清著名的理学家,而且以守旧著称。在维新变法中,他声称"宁可亡国,不可变法",还曾斥责光绪帝的变法诏书为"多行不义必自毙";在义和团运动中,他极力称颂义和团,盲目排外,最终以身殉道。徐桐的守旧主要是受以程朱理学为核心的传统文化影响。

XU Tong,the Grand Secretary of Ti-Ren-Ge,was an idealist philosopher of the Confucian school ,famous for his conservativeness. During the Reform period, he claimed that he would ＂ rather destroy the country than do any reform＂. He accused Guangxu＇ s imperial e- dict of reform as ＂evil root＂. He praised highly the Yihetuan Movement, repelled the foreign countries,and died finally in the movement. XU Tong＇ s conservativeness was under the influ- ence of CHENG-ZHU theory.