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Wong Wei (1531–1598) 王伟 also thought to be known by the pseudonym Xan-Ta 黄单钽 was an obscure and little known Chinese philosopher and writer of the late Ming Dynasty. Living away from Court in the far north in Shexian County, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Wang Xiao) He lived a hermits life only passing on his thoughts once a year through a monk Hxlil He’lpa 他的小帮手 Whilst better known philosophers like Li Tze were critical of the Neo-Confucianist views espoused by Zhu Xi, which was then the orthodoxy of the Ming government, Wong Wei appears to have espoused a third, more conciliatory and observational path although there are few surviving examples of his work.

First referenced in English by James Bruce 8th Lord Elgin, High Commissioner to China, who had works translated from parchments rescued during the destruction of the Old Summer Palace[12] by his order October 18 1860 at the end of the Second Opium war in China. Even these examples have been lost despite extensive efforts by scholars to find them both at the British Museum and at Broomhall House, the family seat of the Earl of Elgin, three miles south-west of Dunfermline near the village of Charlestown, in Fife, Scotland.[1][2

Philosophy

Wong Wei’s philosophy like all his contemporaries was based upon Neo-Confucianism, but not aligned to the then-orthodox Cheng-Zhu School and so was considered heretic alongside others like Li Zhi (1527–1602) It’s thought he may have been influenced by the Wong Khi school, by Wang Yangming (1472–1529), as well as the Taizhou School. He teaches that women are superior in all things to men using Empress Wu as an example of their ultimate power when given the space to flower outside a mainly patriarchal Misogynistic society. He is unique in his time for believing and teaching that women should be emancipated and he castigates widows who chose suicide over remarriage.[4]

Only shortform teachings remain that suggest they were part of a longer work. It is thought he may have been an author of the xiaopin, a form of short essay.[5]

References

Chen, Da-Sheng. "CHINESE-IRANIAN RELATIONS vii. Persian Settlements in Southeastern China during the T'ang, Sung, and Yuan Dynasties". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved 2010-06-28. Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan, 1857-8-9 (2 volumes), Laurence Oliphant, 1859 (reprinted by Oxford University Press, 1970) {No ISBN}

Examples of Philosophy

Your mind is like a courtyard. The regularly treaded paths need no sweeping. It’s the quiet corners need attention Wong Wei 16th C Philosopher

Perfection is the quarry of artificial intelligence or fools. Imperfection shows character in the creative hand

In order to stand out you must first stand up

The afterlife is like paddling a canoe to a new island - that’s why you leave a wake

Life is like a generator - the harder you work. the more power you get and the sooner you lose your bearings

When is enough enough. A man can spend the whole day shelling peas only to find his noodles have boiled dry

If you look for rainbows and unicorns don’t be surprised when you get bad weather and horse shit

Being angry at someone you don’t know about something that doesn’t affect you is as rewarding as waiting for lemons to grow to make orange juice