Ogyu Sorai’s Conception of China Outlook:How Edo Japan Go beyond China

In pre-modern East Asia,the international relation system was Chinese Barbarian System,Chinese culture was always the criterion for judging civilization or barbarism A Japanese-style Chinese Barbarian System viewpoint that was different from Chinese Barbarian System rose in Edo Japan.The most representative scholar was Ogyu Sorai(荻生徂徕)(1666-1728),who engaged in the Classical Prose.The essence of Sorai’s view was the combination of Chinese culture(three generations)and Japanese culture.He hold the view that Chinese culture was worthy of worship,and Japanese culture was also unique.This had made Sorai’s China outlook have two sides,one side was“China worship”and the other was Japanese culture’s superiority.The two sides of Sorai’s conception of China Outlook had raised many discussions in the academic circles.The basic reason was not he was a nationalist but was he believed that Japan could surpass China only by learning from China.The key point was learn what and how to lean.Sorai completed the factual premise that reality China could be surpassed by reconstructing Chinese history,and completed the theoretical premise that ideal China could be surpassed by redefining what the teaching of sages was,especially by looking for the“Japanese ancient Tao”from Chung-Hwa,which made Japan’s culture have the gene beyond China’s.