The Position of Yan Fu's Thought in His Early and Middle Periods

Yan Fu's thought in his early and middle periods was to establish a theoretical system round the patriotics and national salvation.He advocated cultural enlightenment.In political grouping,he was neither a revolutionary nor a reformist.Yan Fu devoted major efforts to encouraging Western learning,and he regarded it as a tool to criticize Chinese learning.But he did not yet fully negate Chinese traditional culture and he only advocated the simultaneous development of Chinese and Western cultures and the communion of cultures.