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Ningbo native: a man of vision, heart and talent
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EDITOR’S note:
Ningbo, as a city with a long history and a prosperous economy, is the birthplace of many extraordinary people who exerted great influence from ancient China to the modern day. This column will introduce famous Ningbo natives from the arts to business, technology and innovation, telling the stories of their contributions.
Chen Xian
Wang Yangming (1472-1529), a native of Ningbo, is one of the most famous philosophers of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
His teachings on man’s pursuit of morality constitute a significant part of China’s basic social philosophy.
His philosophy focussed on self-reflection as a way of purifying the soul and living a moral life in both thought and deed.
“Wang Yangming’s ideology provided people with spiritual power to achieve practical progress in the life, which is also meaningful for people in the modern era,” said Wu Guang, former director of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Science’s Institute of Philosophy.
He attracted followers and influence thought in Japan and on the Korean Peninsula.
Born in Yuyao (today’s county-level city in Ningbo), Wang received good education.
His father Wang Hua was a zhuangyuan — one of those who achieved the highest scores in the imperial examination — and a high-ranking official.
Wang himself passed the imperial examination at the highest level and earned a job in the government in his 20s.
As a man with a wide range of interests, he spent the first three decades of his life studying different schools, including Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. He also practiced various activities including horse riding, archery and traveled widely.
He was also one of the few civil officials who also earned military honor, leading the army in war and ensuring security for the community.
But in his mid-30s, he faced political persecution and was relegated to Guizhou Province where life was hard.
But through this hardship, Wang developed his thoughts and proposed an ideology that attracted a wide following.
The Japanese also applied his philosophy during the Meiji Restoration.
Wang spent his twilight years teaching in places such as Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces.
Longquan Mountain in Wang’s hometown of Yuyao was one of his teaching sites and local people are proud of his legacy.
His old home, also his birthplace in Yuyao, covering 4,600 square meters, has been restored and preserved.
The building is in traditional style, featuring courtyards and corridors. There is also a statue of Wang and a stone gatehouse standing in front of his old residence.
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