Discussed how Xiao Fengfu and Goukou Xiongsan surpassed Western centrism and regarded the Ming and Qing dynasties as the starting point of modern China. Xiao Fengfu proposed the concept of "Chinese style humanistic enlightenment" through Marx's concept of "world history", emphasizing the historical task of anti ethical alienation. Goukou Xiongsan regarded the late Ming and early Qing dynasties as the pre modern period of China, analyzing the evolution of the concept of heavenly principles and the process of rural governance space to provincial governance from the perspectives of ideology and society, emphasizing the uniqueness of modern China from the perspective of the Asian matrix, in order to resist Western hegemony. Their research provides new ideas for the study of East Asian cultural subjectivity.

1、 Early Enlightenment: Enlightenment of Chinese style Humanistic Thought

Based on the early Enlightenment theory, Xiao Fengfu combined the theories of Kant and Marx to propose that the core of Enlightenment is the rediscovery of human beings and the establishment of dignity, rights, and freedom. He emphasized that the realization of human natural rights requires the elimination of self alienation under authoritarian systems, and the upholding of human moral subjectivity and free rational spirit. Xiao Fengfu opposed using Western culture and historical processes as the sole reference standard for modernization development, emphasizing the particularity of China's enlightenment path. He regarded the Enlightenment movement during the Ming and Qing dynasties as an endogenous spirit of self-criticism in Chinese feudal society, rather than a grafting of Western enlightenment. Xiao Fengfu's Enlightenment philosophy emphasizes enlightenment reflection, opposes postmodern deconstruction of enlightenment, and defends the legitimacy and legitimacy of enlightenment. He proposed that the Enlightenment ideology not only activates people's historical initiative and creative spirit, but also leads them into alienation, one sidedness, and unidirectionality without realizing it. Xiao Feng's father's enlightenment theory aims to refute ethical alienation, adhere to the enlightenment cause of "establishing people first", and promote social modernization through the modernization of people.

2、 Pre modern Era: The Development of Historical Matrix Theory

When studying the ideological trends during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Goukou Yuzo emphasized the importance of the concept of "heavenly principles" and believed that it was a key difference between China and the West. He opposes the Western view of separating political power from divine authority, politics from morality, and believes that China's "heaven" reflects the ability of human order and plays an important role in the political structure. Goukou Yuzo analyzed the transformation of the concept of heavenly principles from responding to heavenly condemnation and cultivating virtue to cultivating virtue through heavenly principles, and pointed out that the Tang and Song dynasties were significant changes in the history of Chinese thought. He paid attention to the new changes in the concept of reason and desire during the Ming and Qing dynasties, that is, desire and privacy were recognized, and human desire was no longer completely negative, but represented human survival desire and all desires. Goukou Xiongsan also explored the subjective changes of monarchs during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Donglin Party members opposed the authoritarian rule of the emperor and advocated for "public discourse", promoting the transformation of bureaucratic rule into a landlord united dynasty. In addition, Yuzo Goukou emphasized the new changes in the concept of benevolence, and Dai Zhen reinterpreted the ancient meaning of "self-restraint and restoration of propriety as benevolence", endowing "oneself" with a sense of public order. Goukou Xiongsan believes that the new interpretations of the Tianli view, the Li desire view, and the public-private view during the Ming and Qing dynasties reflect the "community" social concept of equality, fairness, and public welfare, and have become important ideological resources from the late Qing Dynasty reform, the Xinhai Revolution, to the establishment of the People's Republic of China. He also pointed out that the ideological trends of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties should be regarded as the root of the changes in the late Qing dynasty and the budding of modern China. Goukou Xiongsan regards the process from the "rural governance space" in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to the "power of each province" in the Xinhai Revolution as a "continuous state of correlation", and believes that the Lijia system, which represented the bureaucratic system during the Ming and Qing dynasties, could no longer adapt to the social and economic situation at that time. The authoritarian system gradually transformed into a landlord style "monarchism of decentralization and co governance". However, the pre modern discourse of Yuzo Gouguchi has to some extent beautified or simplified the complex relationship between the central and local governments, and there is a clear problem with the teleological development of historical views. Compared to Yuzo Goukou, Xiao Fen's father has a genuine experience and feeling of the dangers and difficulties on the path of enlightenment, which highlights the respective characteristics of both sides' thinking and reasoning.

3、 'Human' and 'Reason': A Comparison of the Path of Thinking and Reasoning

In the study of ideological trends during the Ming and Qing dynasties, both Xiao Fengfu and Goukou Xiongsan opposed Western centrism, advocated redefining universal values in the context of Chinese history, and emphasized the spontaneity of modern Chinese thought. They believe that the evolution from the Ming and Qing dynasties to modern times has continuity and isomorphism, and the consensus lies in the originality and uniqueness of modern China. Goukou Yuzo distinguishes between "primary modernity" and "foreign modernity" based on the Asian matrix, emphasizes the uniqueness of modern development in Asian countries, and proposes "two types of Yangming studies" to demonstrate the diversity of the matrix. He rejects the "enlightenment" of Western value systems and advocates the establishment of a world ideological system with differentiated connections. Xiao Fengfu believed that "enlightenment" is a shared intellectual resource of all humanity, and the paths of enlightenment in the East and the West are different but share the same values and interests.

4、 Cultural Roots Seeking and Cultural China

Explored the similarities and differences in the study of ideological trends during the Ming and Qing dynasties between Xiao Fengfu and Goukou Xiongsan, emphasizing the importance of endogenous and cultural subjectivity in modern China. Goukou Yuzo believes that to understand the differences between Chinese historical concepts and those in Europe, it takes time to establish consensus. Xiao Fengfu regarded the "self-criticism" ideology during the Ming and Qing dynasties as a symbol of enlightenment, emphasizing the exploration of deep human nature. He put forward the views of "anti ethical alienation" and "promoting social modernization through human modernization", believing that these are the core issues of China's modernization construction. Xiao Fengfu advocates "cultural roots seeking", which means exploring the foundation of national culture, emphasizing the creative transformation of local culture and the absorption and assimilation of foreign culture. He traced back history and demonstrated the shortcomings of the concepts of "Western learning with its origins" and "Chinese style and Western application", and proposed the principle of using traditional Chinese culture as the main body to explore the characteristics of the "Chinese style path of ideological enlightenment". Xiao Fengfu also emphasized the importance of "root seeking consciousness" and "global consciousness", believing that Chinese cultural research should move towards diversified development, achieve the metabolism and reconstruction of Chinese culture. The research of overseas sinologists has important value in reflecting on and looking forward to the issue of Chinese cultural subjectivity, which helps to comprehensively present the continuity and uniqueness of China's journey towards modernization. By comparing the theoretical theories of Xiao Fengfu and Goukou Yuzo, we can improve the research on early Enlightenment theory and pre modern times, promote the intersection and integration of East Asian thought, and advance the establishment and improvement of the discourse system in China and even Asia in modern times.