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Gu Yanwu (1613–1682) was a Chinese historian, philologist, and poet. Born in Qiandun, he pursued advancement in the imperial examination system but failed to achieve the rank of juren. He was a Ming loyalist after the Qing conquest and declined political positions to travel across China. His work, Rizhilu, is an edited collection of his notes on various topics, mainly statecraft and historiography. He was critical of Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the political centralization and reliance on law codes. He advocated for historical study centered on primary sources. Rizhilu and his phonology treatise Yinxue wushu were published during his lifetime; his other surviving works were published by Pan Lei after his death. Gu's thought influenced scholars throughout the Qing period, and 19th-century scholars such as He Shaoji venerated him at a Beijing temple constructed in his honor. Revolutionaries such as Liang Qichao praised his work, stressing his empiricism and resistance to Qing rule. (Full article...)