The Learning Experience of Xie Guozhen

Xie Guozhen is a prominent historian who is the forerunner of historical studies of the late Ming Dynasty.Anyway,he has been regarded as a scholar in the science of historical data.This is partially because of his influential works on historical records,such as,A Study of the Historical Records in the Late Ming Dynasty,A Collection of Social and Historical Data.A Discussion on the Notes in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.But this is mainly because his learning experience has not been fully recognized.In the 1930s,he acknowledged Liang Qichao as his teacher,who started the Chinese new historical science.Mr Xie's first work on history,On the Change of Servants in the Ming Dynasty is a representative book in the new historical science,which makes an analysis of the South China servant classes in the dynasty from the perspective of sociological history.His other two works in the same field are A Study of the Mass Organization Movement between the Ming and Qing Dynasties and A Verification of the Displaced People in Northeast China.All the three are creative works form new viewpoints.But his academic qualities and values faded in his later works because of the then mainstream of class struggle historical approach,which is in contrary to his academic purpose and interest.So he has been noted only for his findings in the science of historical data,which leads to the misunderstanding of his academic career.