Abstract:

During the 1898 reform period, Kang Youwei discussed “The Theory of the Flood,” (Hongshuishuo) in his lectures at the Thatched Hut among Ten Thousand Trees Hall Academy. “The Theory of the Flood,” stated that the whole world was flooded four thousand years ago, and that the history of human society began in this period. The history of China began from the rule of Emperor Yu of the Xia dynasty. Kang also discussed “The Theory of the Summit of the Earth (Didingshuo) which posited that Mount Kunlun was the summit of the earth where early human civilization was preserved. During the flood, there were “four golden dragon lakes” on Mount Kunlun and the lakes were the sources of four rives: Irtysh River, the Amu Darya River, the Indus River and the Yellow River. These rivers were the foundations of the prosperous Asian civilizations. What were the political purposes of these peculiar views? This article clarifies that the book, “Master Kang’s Private and Public Writing: Topography Chapter” (Kangzi Neiwai Pian: Dishi Pian) discussed the “The Theory of the Summit of the Earth, but the “The Theory of the Summit of the Earth” had developed into “The Theory of Topography” (Dishi Shuo) developed by Kang Youwei after the 1898 reform. This article argues that “The Theory of the Earth’s Fate” (Diyun shuo) in the political essays written by Kang Youwei’s disciples, Xu Qin, Liu Zhenlin, and Liang Qichao, illustrated that human civilization was born in India, spread westward to Europe and the Americas, and eventually spread to China through two routes (Siberia and the Americas via Japan). This was the conclusion of “The Theory of the Flood,” and “The Theory of the Summit of the Earth”.