Li Guangdi

Li Guangdi (Chinese: 李光地; 1642–1718), also known by his courtesy name Jinqing (晉卿) and sobriquet Hou'an (厚庵), was a Chinese neo-Confucianist court official during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty.

Li was a native of Anxi County, Fujian Province. He was promoted to the rank of jinshi in 1670 and moved to Beijing, leaving his brother Li Guangpo behind to look after his family. Li's career prospects were improved when his plan for the pacification of Fujian and the defeat of Wu Sangui was adopted by the Emperor. He was also instrumental in the defeat of Geng Jingzhong, persuading his friend Chen Minglei to work as a spy in Geng's camp (Chen was later exiled for his betrayal). Later in life, he was responsible for planning Shi Lang's conquest of Taiwan. During the course of his life, Li held many important court positions, including Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, Governor of Zhili and Grand Secretary, as well as holding high-ranking positions on the Board of War, Board of Civil Service and the Board of Public Works.

Li's philosophy was rooted in the Cheng-Zhu school, however despite being a follower of Zhu Xi he did not entirely disregard the teachings of Zhu's rivals Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming. He also highlighted similarities between the teachings of Confucius and those of Buddha and Lao Tzu. Li felt that human nature (which he believed to be inherently good) was the ultimate subject of his study, and that nature was the guiding principle on which to base human morality. He had an interest in the sciences, and was interested by Western scientific innovations.

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