民初孔子诞辰纪念近代转型及困境

The Modern Transformation and Predicament in Commemorating Confucius’s Birthday in the Early Republic of China

帝制时期,民间社会即有纪念孔子诞辰的传统,但其社会关注度与普及度颇为有限。入民国后,基于因袭传统和迎合近代社会变革的双重考量,孔子诞辰纪念被作为祀孔折中之法逐渐普及开来。在这一过程中,其纪念群体、纪念仪式、纪念日期各方面逐渐向近代化转型。然而,因官方政策的频繁变动和新思想、新文化的冲击等多方面因素影响,孔子诞辰纪念在各地呈现出新旧杂糅的混乱样态,1920年代后更因时局纷扰而走向衰微。孔子诞辰纪念的近代转型及其困境不仅反映出彼时中央政府政治权威的限度与效度,更印证了民国社会文化转型之际“儒门淡薄,收拾不住”的命运归宿。

During the imperial period,the civil society had a tradition of commemorating the birth of Confucius,but its social attention and popularity were quite limited.After entering the period of Republic of China,based on the dual considerations of inheriting traditions and catering to modern social changes,the commemoration of Confucius’birthday was gradually popularized in the early Republic of China as a compromise method for worshipping Confucius.In this process,its commemorative groups,commemorative ceremonies,and commemorative dates have gradually transformed into modernization.However,due to the frequent changes in official policies and the impact of new ideas and new cultures,Confucius’s birthday commemorations in various places presented a chaotic mix of old and new.The modern transformation and predicament of the commemoration of Confucius’birthday not only reflected the limitation and validity of the central government’s political authority at that time,but also confirmed the fate of“the Confucian school was weak and could not be handled”during the social and cultural transformation of the Republic of China.