ABSTRACT

This paper read Hu Lancheng as an example of Neo-Confucian who endeavored to call the spirits of traditional Chinese culture. Examining the unpublished letters between Hu and Tang Junyi the contemporary Neo-Confucian, this paper attempts to explore the question of Chinese modernity. Such a dialogic reading of the two minds helps illuminate their projects of returning to and/or redeeming the past.

Key words: Neo-Confucianism, spirit calling, rites and music reform