Datong Shu

The Book of Great Unity

Original text: [1]

Title: 大同书 (The Book of Great Unity)

Author: 康有为 Kang Youwei

Presentation: [2]

Introduction by the Teacher: Early utopias, Kang Youwei and the Book of Great Unity

I Compulsory Part: Modernisation

Just as we find early literary utopias in the Occident, e.g. in Gilgamesh (earliest version ca. 2600 BC), there were also first literary testimonies in China (e.g. "Great Unity" in the Book of Rites ca. 2500 c.) .

Utopias became popular through translations of Jules Verne's utopian novels into Chinese around 1902-1903 (e.g. Lu Xun (transl.): Jules Verne: Journey to the Moon, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea).

Utopias played an important role especially at the end of the imperial era (around 1900): They heralded the social transformation process towards modernity. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao launched the first attempt at reform, but it lasted only 100 days.

Kang Youwei wrote the utopian essay "The Book of Great Unity大同書". Liang Qichao wrote a fragment (see below).

The concept of Great Unity was later taken up by Sun Yat-sen and appears in several places in the national anthem of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

As the texts are very long and not available in English or German, I have put together a few summaries and excerpts from secondary literature for you. Read as much as you can in the short time available or as much as arouses your interest, in the session we will mainly discuss on the basis of the following tasks:

Task 1. Please read some of the texts with the following questions in mind:

a) What role does money play?

b) What role do physical labour and machines play?

c) How are nations characterised, how are conflicts between nations resolved?

d) What is the relationship between technical and moral superiority of Western nations and China?

e) What is China's position in Asia / in the world?

e) What is the system of government? How did it come about?

f) How is peace valued?

g) How are differences between people treated?

Task 2: Compare the results with those of previously studied seminar texts.

II Freestyle: Present

The real China of the present as a dystopia.

There is no free literary creation in China today; authors are almost exclusively employed by the state and are subject to censorship. Even foreign dystopian novels like 1984 and Animal Farm are partly banned in China.

There are utopian propaganda novels of poor literary quality that predict a bright future for China. But even the 30-minute evening news of the present is characterised by viewers in China with the following joke:

"前十分钟领导很忙。

中间十分钟人民生活很幸福。

最后十分钟外国人民生活在水生火热之中。

What does the 30 minutes of television news consist of?

In the first 10 minutes, the leaders are very busy.

In the middle 10 minutes the people live very happily.

In the last 10 minutes, foreigners live in floods and conflagrations.

3. compare the following phenomena of contemporary China with dystopian/utopian novels:

a) The will of primary school pupils, students and professionals is broken, they are educated with obviously false information (e.g. regarding Chinese history and the relationship to Europe), which they are taught and have to repeat until they credibly affirm that they believe the false to be true.

b) Workers in a Shanghai factory are given protective helmets in which brain scanners are mounted so that brain waves and especially emotional fluctuations can be immediately detected by the employer and measures (up to and including dismissal) can be taken.

c) There is a regime loyalty point system, according to which every Chinese has a point value, especially based on his internet behaviour.

d) In China there is total surveillance with millions of cameras (teachers have 3 bullet-head cameras above them in the classroom, students another half dozen), there is no privacy and no data protection (except for party officials).

e) The internet, the press and books are censored and synchronised; if a term becomes hype, an algorithm decides whether all the corresponding posts and, if necessary, the users are blocked.

Kang Youwei: The Book of Great Unity

(ca. 1900, 2nd ed. 1937) 2010, Beijing: People's Publishing House

Kang developed his ideas in lecture notes in 1884. His students encouraged him to elaborate them into a book, the first version of which he did not complete until about two decades after his return from exile in India. The first two chapters appeared in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, the entire book only posthumously in 1935, some seven years after his death.

Kang proposed a future (utopian) world free of political boundaries and racial differences, and centrally governed democratically. The world would be divided into rectangular administrative zones, self-governing with direct democracy but loyal to the central government. According to Kang's eugenics, the "brown and black" races would disappear within a millennium, leading to a more homogeneous human race. Its members would be "of the same skin colour, appearance, height and endowed with the same intelligence". He hoped for an end to traditional clan structures, which he saw as a major evil. Families would be replaced by state institutions such as midwifery schools, kindergartens and schools. Marriage would be replaced by annual contracts between husband and wife. Kang considered the contemporary form of marriage to be particularly anti-women because they would be trapped in it for life. Kang believed in the equality of men and women and there should be no social institution or obstacles why women should not be able to do everything that men were allowed to do.

Comparison: The New Story of the Stone

Wu Jianren, The New Story of the Stone

[Excerpts, summary.]

[Baoyu's peaceful meditation is disturbed when he suddenly remembers his failed mission, his failed attempt to fix the' fractured Tian-sky or Tian-heaven. Dun Wang, 41]

"When the Goddess produced stones of five colours, she meant to use them to mend Heaven. While the other thirty-six thousand and five hundred have been put to use, only I have been neglected. Although I was later endowed with supernatural power, I only wasted it by squandering some years with those girls [in the Garden View Grand]. I have yet to carry out my purpose of mending Heaven. If I could fulfill this wish, I would have no regrets even if I disappeared into smoke and ashes" (Wu 1986, 3, transl. by David Der-wei Wang in David E. Pollard 1998, p. 322)

[As a result, he cannot stay in the stagnant mythical realm any longer, and he embarks on a journey which leads him to Shanghai, a semi-colonial metropolis in pre-industrial China. The journey symbolizes an ambivalent search for "modern" China.

The first half of The New Story of the Stone relates the resurrected Baoyu's disappointing, dystopian adventures in the late Qing society. He encounters a race of humans that is degenerating along with their society. The novel's second part transports him into an imaginary utopian future called the "Civilized Realm" (文明境界). Appropriately, the portal to this utopia is located somewhere close to Confucius' hometown in Shandong province. The new, utopian adventure starts from Chapter 21. Baoyu-having narrowly escaped a political murder-is taking an excursion to Northern China. Ironically, at Qufu, (曲阜) Confucius' hometown, he is robbed twice during the night. Being helpless and lost, Baoyu roams the main road from dark until daybreak. At the precise point where the sun rises Baoyu sees a high memorial arch with the inscription "Civilized Realm. A gentleman with the name "Old Youth" greets him. After Baoyu passes the inspection of his "nature" at a border office, Old Youth becomes his companion on a tour of the territory.

Baoyu now finds this Civilized Realm to be in every respect superior to both a decaying China and an aggressive West, which the citizens of this utopia call the "Barbarian Realm" (野蠻境界) and the "Falsely Civilized States" (假文明國), respectively. The Civilized Realm imaginatively fulfils the late Qing dream of not only equaling but surpassing Western technology. Dun Wang, 41]

[On top of this amazing technology we also have a traditionally Confucian moral order, the true governing power. Its "civilized authoritarianism" (文明專制) is thought to be the most advanced political system in the world, far superior to Western "falsely civilized" values. Dun Wang, 42]

[Summary by David Wang:

Wu Jianren casts Jia Baoyu as a lonely traveller in time, who adventures to late Qing China and then to a futuristic utopia. Baoyu's old passion for the girls of the Garden View Grand is now replaced by a compassion for the people of the Middle Kingdom; romantic yearning gives way to an eager practicality [...] The Civilized World is a country strong in military power, political structure, scientific advancement, educational institutions, and moral cultivation. It is a tremendous technocratic empire that in every aspect leads its time. [...]

In chapter 25, after watching a military review of flying cars, Baoyu sighs, "What fiction about 'flying amid the clouds and riding the fog' - the well-known skill of deities and humans endowed with supernatural powers - could be more fantastic than this flying car?" [One of his escorts replies: "We have come a long way in experimenting with the flying car, the idea of which was derived from our ancestors. It is laughable that Europeans and Americans have by now only come up with inventions like those dangerous and clumsy balloons. How can a balloon match our flying cars?"[Wang: Fin-de-siècle splendor..... p. 275].

Dongfang Qiang divides his territory into eight districts named after the eight Chinese virtues (ba de: loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, compassion, fidelity, righteousness, peacefulness, equality). His three sons, Dongfang Ying (Eastern England), Dongfang De (Eastern Germany), Dongfang Fa (Eastern France), and one daughter, Dongfang Mei (Eastern America), are administrators of state affairs [...] all the rulers of the Dongfang family are [Wang p. 276] "gifted with the talent to administer the world, and the will to rule the state."

To Baoyu's puzzlement, towards the end of their conversation, Dongfang Qiang [which means "Strong East"] calls Baoyu "brother", as if they were of the same generation despite their apparent difference in ages. Upon Baoyu's departure, Dongfang Qiang reveals his true identity: he is Zhen Baoyu, the worldly double of Jia Baoyu, from The Story of the Stone! This revelation takes us back into the intricate world of similitude and illusion as presented by the original. Zhen Baoyu, it will be recalled, was a duplicate of Jia Baoyu in appearance, but he grew up to become what Jia Baoyu refused to become, a success in the secular world of the red dust. [...]

In a manner reminiscent of Cao Xueqin's novel, at the end of Wu Jianren's search for an ideal utopia, a dream sequence appears. In the dream, Baoyu takes a voyage back to China. To his amazement, a World's Fair exhibition is about to take place in Beijing, while the Yangtze valley has been so industrialized that one sees hundreds of factories on either bank and ships sailing busily up and down the river. Bao Yu attends an international conference on world peace. When the keynote speaker, the Emperor of China, is welcomed to the stage, he turns out to be none other than Zhen Baoyu/Dongfang Qiang. In great shock, Bao Yu falls off his chair and wakes up].

"How sad I feel about all the miseries of the world, And how sad I feel for those who are born in the world. Time does not endow me with the skill to mend heaven, Instead it lets busy rats run everything." (p. 323)

Text

吳趼人 (Wu, Jianren 1866-1910) 1905. 老少年 ("Old Youth") [i.e. Wu Jianren (吳趼人; 1866-1910)], 新石頭記 (New Story of the Stone), 南方報 (Nanfang Bao) in 1905 (8.21-11.29), book reprint "Wo Fo Shan Ren" (我佛山人): Illustrated new Story of the Stone, Shanghai Reform Fiction Press (上海改良小說社 Shanghai gailiang xiaoshuoshe), 1908, reprint Zhongzhou Guji Chubanshe (中州古籍出版社) 1986, edited and annotated by Wang Liyan (王立言).

Based on early Chinese translations by Jules Verne, which were available since around 1900.

References

Wang, David Derwei. Fin-de-siecle Splendor: Repressed Modernities of Late Qing Fiction, 1849-1911. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1997.

Wang, David Derwei. "Translating Modernity." Pollard, David E., ed. Translation and Creation: Readings of Western Literature in Early Modern China, 1840-1918. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1998. 303-30.

Wang Dun (王敦). "The Late Qing's Other Utopias: China's Science-Fictional Imagination, 1900-1910", in: Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies 34.2, September 2008: 37-61.

Fragment and homework《庚部　去产界公生业》

In this fragment, Kang Youwei explains how to get rid of the industrial boundary and the suffering it causes.

YL

人生之所赖，农出之，工作之，商运之，资生之学日精，则实业之依倍切。至于近世，奖劝日加，讲求日精，凡农工商皆有学校，农耕皆用机器化料。若工事之精，制造之奇，汽球登天，铁轨缩地，无线之电渡海，比之中古，有若新世界矣。商运之大，轮舶纷驰，物品交通，遍于五洲，皆创数千年未有之异境。文明日进，诚过畴昔。然新业虽瑰玮，不过世界之外观，于民生独人之困苦，公德之缺乏，未能略有补救也。

今以农夫言之，中国许人买卖田产，故人各得小区之地，难于用机器以为耕，无论农学未开，不知改良。而田主率非自耕，多为佃户，出租既贵，水旱非时，终岁劳动，胼手胝足，举家兼勤，不足事畜，食薯煮粥，犹不充饥，甚者鬻子以偿租税，菜色褛衣，其困苦有不忍言者。即使农学遍设，物种大明，化料具备，机器大用，与欧美齐；而田区既小，终难均一，大田者或多荒芜，而小区者徒劳心力；或且无田以为耕，饥寒乞丐，流离沟壑。此不惟中国为然，自美洲新辟得有大田外，各国殆皆不能免焉；而亚洲各旧国，地少人多，殆尤甚者也。

The author says that life depends on agriculture, work and business, students will be dependent on the undustry if they improve their studies. In modern times rewards are important, everyday improvements should be emphasized. The industry has schools and farming uses machine-made materials. If they work hard to keep the fortifications strong and the manufacturing good quality then the country has a chance to develop/everything will be good. Author says that it feels like a new world compared with the past. Trasport is also great. The civilization is advancing every day and they should try to live up to the past. Author also says that although the business is good, it's all just an appearance, doesn't compensate for people's hardships and the lock of morality. Framers can buy and sell their land. Everybody has their land but it's difficult to use machines in farming. Most of the land owners are tenants. Rent is high and the natural disasters are not helping. Whole families work hard the whole year. Sometimes they can't raise animals, so they only eat potatoes and porridge. They also have to pay taxes. The land areas are usually quite small so it's difficult to be uniform/people work in vain. Bigger areas are deserted. That causes hunger. The author says its not only like that in China, but in other countries.

ZYX

孔子昔已忧之，故创井田之法，而后人人不忧饥寒；而此方格之事，非新辟之国实不能行。若孔子所谓「盖均无贫」，则义之至也。

后儒日发均田之说，又为限民名田之法，王莽不得其道而妄行之，则适以致乱。英人傅氏之论生计，欲以十里养千人为大井田，其意仁甚，然亦不可行也；盖许人民买卖私产，既各有私产，则贫富不齐，终无由均。若如荷兰之治爪哇，有地头主，领地于国而下税于民，则为重税如诸侯天子矣，盖非太平之道。然则虽有仁人，欲使全地养民，无冻馁之患，无不均之忧，实不可得也。

故以今之治法，虽使机器日出精奇，人民更加才智，政法更有精密，而不行大同之法，终无致生民之食安乐，农人之得均养也。或亦能倡共产之法，而有家有国，自私方甚；有家则一身而妻子待养，有国则陈兵而租税日增，以此制度而欲行共产之说，犹往南而北其辙也，无论法国革命时不能行之，即美国至今亦万不能行也。

Because of his concern, Confucius created the well-field system so that people would not live in hunger and cold. Later, Confucians put forward the theory of land equalisation and also introduced a law to restrict land to people. However, Wang Mang shouldn't do that, otherwise it could lead to chaos. From the examples of equal distribution of land among people in Britain and The Netherlands, it can be argued that even if there are benevolent people who want people to own all the land without suffering from cold and hunger, it is really impossible to achieve equality in this matter. Also, to solve this problem, the system of communism is being considered.

JL

若夫工业之争，近年尤剧。盖以机器既创，尽夺小工，畴昔手足之烈，一独人可为之者，今则皆为大厂之机器所攘，而小工无所谋食矣。而能作大厂之机器者，必具大资本家而后能为之。故今者一大制造厂、一大铁道轮船厂、一大商厂，乃至一大农家，皆大资本家主之。一厂一场，小工千万，仰之而食；而资本家复得操纵轻重小工之口食而控制之，或抑勒之，于是富者愈富，贫者愈贫矣。

机器之在今百年，不过萌芽耳，而贫富之离绝如此；过是数十年，乃机器发达长上之秋，树干分枝布叶之时也。自尔之后，资本家之作厂商场，愈大愈远；银行周国土，铁道贯大地，商舶横五洲，电线裹大地，其用工人至为亿为兆而不止，如小国焉。其富主如国君，其百执事如士大夫，其作工如小民，不止贫富之不均，远若天渊，更虑昔者争土地、论贵贱之号为国者，改而争作厂、商场，以论贫富为国焉。则旧国土之争方息，而新国土之争又出也，此其贻祸于人群，岂可计哉！

The author talks about the conflict between those that work and those that hold a capital. With more and more machines taking over jobs, those that hold power over their production (capitalists) will abuse their privileges to enrich themselves. In turn workers will only lose. With development of the machines the gap between poor and rich will only grow. It will cause extreme mechanization in the society and cause workers life to become nothing more but a commodities. It will cause the enterprises to morph into small kingdoms/states with capitalists as princes and rulers. It will stop war of the past but lead to others.

AD

夫人事之争，不平则鸣，乃势之自然也，故近年工人联党之争，挟制业主，腾跃于欧美，今不过萌蘖耳。又工党之结联，后此必愈甚，恐或酿铁血之祸，其争不在强弱之国，而在贫富之群矣。从此百年，全地注目者必在于此。故近者人群之说益昌，均产之说益盛，乃为后此第一大论题也。然有家之私未去，私产之义犹行，欲平此非常之大争而救之，殆无由也。

若夫商业之途，竞争尤烈。高才并出，骋用心计，穿金刻石，巧诈并生，由争剥之故，故造作伪货以误害人，若药食、舟车，其害尤烈者矣。即不作伪，而以劣楛之货妄索高资，欺人自得，信实全无，廉耻暗丧。及其同业之争，互相倾轧，甲盛则乙妒之，丙弱则丁快之；当其争利，跃先恐后，虽有至亲，不相顾恤，或设阱陷，机诈百生，中于心术，尽其力之所至而已，无馀让以待人矣。资性之日坏，天机之日丧，积久成俗，以此而欲至性善之世，岂可得哉！

The author states that the conflict and competition are going to increase with the development of technology - especially the conflict between labor unions and business owners or, in other words, between the poor and the rich. The text also talks about the concept of wealth redistribution , pointing private property rights as a challenging factor to overcome in this dispute. There is also mention of the unfair business tactics which include deception and manipulation of consumers, producing counterfeit goods that cause harm, and cunning to demand the prices to get higher and higher. The author is grieving over the loss of ethical values in society where people get rid of compassion just to get rich.💸

AX

近自天演之说鸣，竞争之义视为至理，故国与国陈兵相视，以吞灭为固然；人与人机诈相陷，以欺凌为得计。百事万业，皆祖竞争，以才智由竞争而后进，器艺由竞争而后精，以为优胜劣败，乃天则之自然。而生计商业之中，尤以竞争为大义。此一端之说耳，岂徒坏人心术，又复倾人身家，岂知裁成天道，辅相天宜者哉！

夫强弱无常，智愚无极，两商相斗，必有败者。一败涂地，资本尽倾，富者化而为贫，则全家号啕而无赖。生计既失，忧患并生，身无养而疾病丛起，家无养而死亡相从，吾见亦伙矣。即有贫人以商骤富，而以一人什佰千万于众，不均已甚。夫富相什则下之，富相百则事之，富相干则奴之，在富者则骄，在贫者则谄，骄极则颐指气使，谄极则舐痔吮痈，盖无所不至矣。故骄与谄，非所以养人性而成人格也，然而循竞争之道，有贫富之界，则必致是矣。

This paragraph describes the theory of rivalry, which can be observed in various aspects of life, such as between countries or between people. Both the positive and negative aspects of rivalry have been mentioned, as well as its impact on people's lives.

TXL

近世论者，恶统一之静而贵竞争之嚣，以为竞争则进，不争则退，此诚宜于乱世之说，而最妨害于大同太平之道者也。夫以巧诈倾轧之坏心术相此，倾败之致忧患、困乏、疾病、死亡如此，骄谄之坏人品格如此，其祸至剧矣，其欲致人人于安乐，亦相反矣。然则主竞争之说者，知天而不知人，补救无术，其愚亦甚矣，嗟乎，此真乱世之义哉！虽然，不去人道有家之私及私产之业，欲弭竞争，何可得也，故不得不以竞争为良术也。

夫以有家之私及私产之业，则必独人自为营业，此实乱世之无可如何者也。今以独人之营业与公同之营业比较之。

以农业言，独人之营业，则有耕多者，有耕少者，其耕率不均，其劳作不均，外之售货好恶无常，人之销率多少难定，则耕者亦无从定其自耕之地及种植之宜，于是有馀粟滞销者矣。木材果实，畜牧渔鱼，销售与否，多寡孰宜，无从周知，无从预算，于是少则见乏而失时，多则暴殄天物而劳于无用。合大地之农人数万万，将来则有十百倍于此数者，一人之乏而失时，一人之殄物而枉劳，积之十百万万人，则有十百万万之殄物、失时、枉劳者矣。有十百万万人之殄物、失时、枉劳，则百事失其用、万品失其珍，以大地统计学算之，其所失败，岂恒河沙无量数而已哉！然则不本于大同而循有家私产之害，但中于农者为不可言也。

Modern theorists believe that competition leads to progress, while unity to a decline. The author states that those who advocate competition understand the ways of the world but not the nature of humanity, as competition hinders the path to peace and harmony, bringing unrest, calamities and death. He also admits that competition itself cannot be avoided. Such statement is followed by a comparison between individual and collective business, after which the author draws conclusion that even in this aspect individuality leads to failure.

WMF

以商业言之，商人各自经营，各自开店用伙，无能统一，于一地之人口，所需什器，不能得其统算之实。即能统算，而各店竞利，不能不预储广蓄以待人之取求，所储蓄者，人未必求，人所求者未必储蓄，不独甲店有馀而乙店不足，抑且人人皆在有馀不足之中。夫有馀于此，则必不足于彼，于是同一物也，不足则昂涌，有馀则贱退，虽有狡智亿中致富之人，而因此败家失业者多矣。夫既有赢亏，则人产难均，而一切人格治法即不能平；败家失业，则全家之忧患疾病中之，甚且死亡继之而人不能乐。即在百物有馀，壅积久，必腐败，商人好利。必不轻弃，饰欺作伪，仍售于人，虽有律限，不能尽察。以腐败之食物药物与人，则可致疾病而卫生有碍，以腐败之机器与人，则其误害之大尤不可言矣。即自食物、药物、机器外一切用器之腐败者，误人误事，作伪生欺，岂可令其存于天壤而为太平之蠹哉！且政府即能查察，馀货不售，则必弃之，是为暴殄天物。

Concerns in business practices are highlighted, emphasizing issues such as individual competition, potential compromise of product quality, and the challenges of legal regulation. It discusses the consequences of market competition, including the risk of deceptive practices and the difficulty of enforcing laws. The author also addresses the imbalance in inventory management and the societal responsibility of businesses. The role of government regulation is underscored, with a call for stronger legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to ensure ethical and transparent business conduct.

YSY

以一店之馀物已不可言，若合大地之商店馀货而统算之，其为恒河沙无量数，殆不知加几零位而不能尽也。当太平之世，大地全通，生人繁殖，需用物品益为浩繁。夫以生人之数无量而大地之产有涯，今以一人之用品计之，如一日需食粉质几何，肉质几何，糖质几何，销料几何，需衣布帛几何，绒料几何，皮料几何，需用木料、竹料几何，金料、石料几何，羽毛料、草料、骨料几何，丹青料几何，药料几何，机器几何，万品千汇为人所需者，出之于地，作之于人，皆有定数，而徒供无量之腐败弃掷，非徒大地不给，亦治大地统计学为国人谋利益者所大失策也，愚谬甚矣！孔子为大同之策曰：「货恶其弃于地也，不必其藏于己。」夫既亲其亲、子其子而有私产，则虽欲不藏于己不可得也；既藏于己，则虽欲不弃于地不可得也。夫以全地商店久积有馀之货皆当弃地者，而一一移而为有用，以供生人之需，其所以为同胞厚生者增几倍哉！以此为恤贫，复何恤贫之有？故不本于大同而欲治商业者，不可得也。

If we add up all the goods all over the world, the amount would be inalculable. When there is peace and the people are multiplying, the amount of needed items is grand. The number of people is infinite, but what Earth can produce is finite. We have to calculate how many things are needed for one person to survive one day. All the accumulated goods should be abandoned by their owners and redistributed to the people that need them. It is impossible to manage commerce if the system is not based on The Great Unity.

KMJ

以工业言之，又工人各自为谋。各地工人多少不同，多则价贱，少则价昂，资本家既苦之。而工人同一操业，而价贱者无以足用；若其求工不得者，不能谋生，饥寒交迫则为盗贼，其害益甚矣。即大作厂机场之各自为谋，亦不能统算者也；不能统算矣，则各自制物，则必至甲物多而有馀、乙物少而不足，或应更新而仍守旧，或已见弃而仍力作。其有馀而见弃者则价必贱，不足而更新者价必昂，既有贵贱，则贫富必不均而人格必不平，无由致太平之治。且其有馀见弃者，必作伪欺人，坏其心术，若机器药物之有诈伪，有腐败，贻害无算。夫凡百什器，皆岂有腐败而欺人哉！若不欺人而不售，则必弃之。夫以全地之工人统算，其作器之见弃，其为恒河沙无量数，不知加几零位矣。夫工人之作器，费日力无算，弊精神无算，费备用之百器无算，无量数之工人之需衣食器用者无算；若以之作器，器必有用，必不虚作，其益于全地同胞岂有涯量！而今以无量之工人之作器而弃之，是弃无量数之人，弃无量数之日力，弃无量数之精神及其它一切无量数之衣食宫室器用也，又岂止暴殄天物而已哉！为大地统计学者，为人民谋公益者，虽日谋之计之而无以为策也，惟有失谬无算而已，无术救之矣，不去人之私工故也。

This fragment discusses the issue of industrial workers seeking their own gain and the consequences of this. It speaks of the challenges faced by workers with lower wagers and potential consequences in society such as poverty. Workers' independent production of goods results in surpluses and sortages. The author argues that this problem cannot be solved only through calculations or policy-making and suggest that individual self-interest is a contrubuting factor.

AKR

今欲致大同，必去人之私产而后可；凡农工商之业，必归之公。举天下之田地皆为公有，人无得私有而私买卖之。政府立农部而总天下之农田，各度界小政府皆立农曹而分掌之。数十里皆立农局，数里立农分局，皆置吏以司之。其学校之学农学者，皆学于农局之中；学之考验有成，则农局吏授之田而与之耕，其耕田之多寡，与时新之机器相推迁。其百谷、草木、牧畜、渔鱼皆然，其职业与学堂之堂生相等，不足则兼职，取之兼业之人，其有馀则酌职业而增之以求致精。人愈多则农业愈增，辟地愈多，讲求愈精。各小政府以时聚农官议而损益之，岁时以其度界内所出之材产告之公政府之农部，移告之工商部。商部以全国人民所需之食品用品统计若干，与其意外水旱天灾弥补若干，凡百谷、果木、牧畜、渔产之用物，何地宜于何品，何地不宜于何品，若山陵、原隰、川海、沙漠，腴瘠、燥湿出产几何，皆据各分政府之农曹所报之地质出产，以累年之比较而定其农额，统计而预算之，定应用若干；因各度界之地宜应种植、牧畜、渔产若干，令各度界如其定额而行之，移之农部。农部核定，下之各度界小政府之农曹，令各小度界如额种植、牧畜、渔产，如中国江南之宜稻，河北之宜麦，江、浙之宜桑，四川之宜药，广东之宜花果，北口外之宜牧畜，沿海之宜渔盐，山西之宜盐煤，暹罗、安南、缅甸之宜米，印度之宜五谷，南洋各岛之宜蔗、加非、胡椒是也。

This text proposes an ideal society by advocating for the elimination of private property and the adoption of communal ownership in agriculture, industry, and commerce. It suggests making global land public, prohibiting private transactions. The government would establish a nationwide agriculture department, and local governments would have agricultural offices managing specific areas. Students studying agriculture would learn in these offices and, upon graduation, receive allocated land for cultivation with modern machinery. Communal ownership principles also apply to various agricultural products. The government, through a commerce department, would distribute essential goods based on statistical analysis and geological reports from local agricultural offices. Quotas for agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries would be set by the agriculture department and implemented by local governments.

SSM

大凡热带，雨水最多，草木最繁盛，则生棉花、蓝靛、糖、苏木、棕榈、椰、蕉、黑白檀及诸香料。温带繁植稍次之，而食物、用物乃最多，若枫、榆、榉、柳、松、柏、桂、樟、杉、桦、桑、麻、藷、蔗、榛、桃、米、麦之类是也。寒带植物少，西伯利亚宜松及麦，长白、高丽宜参。若波斯气候温湿，产米、蔗、烟、罂粟、桃、李、梨、杏、梅、枣。阿富汗、爱乌罕暖地产棉、米，冷地产麦、蔗、瓜、葡萄。阿拉伯产枣及加非，土耳其产小麦、葡萄、橙、榄、松、柏。盖花卉香料，亚洲为盛矣。法国地宜农，产麦、玉蜀黍、桑、烟、葡萄、榄、林檎；英以棉、麦甲各国；西班牙产蔗、栗、榄、橙、桑、蓝、葡萄、棉、米；葡萄牙之葡萄酒，为绝美之专产。若橙、柠檬、小麦、玉蜀黍、马铃薯，意大利略同，而棉、茶、桑为大。希腊产米、棉、烟，瑞士产裸麦、洋薯，而又富于坚材。日耳曼多种葡萄，又与澳大利、匈牙利产小麦、裸麦、谷、麻、烟；瑞典萝卜最美。俄罗斯、荷兰、丹麦多产各种麦，而荷有烟、麻，俄富于材木焉。比利时产忽布。大率欧洲北部有松、柏、榛、榆及矮小之杨柳也。非洲热带，有数十年之木棉、大椰树、枣树，内地则加非、胡桃，北岸则榄、桃。埃及产五谷、蓝、棉、蔗。美洲产玉蜀黍、小麦、棉、蔗、米、烟、马铃薯及诸果，秘鲁同之，而鸡那最多。 In tropical areas with abundant rainfall and big amount of various plants, crops such as cotton, indigo, sugar, sandalwood, palm and spices flourish. Temperate regions have slightly less vegetation but a greater variety of food and useful plants like maple, elm, cedar, cinnamon, potato and rice. Colder regions have fewer plant types - Siberia has pine and wheat, while regions like Persia, Afghanistan, and Arabia have only some specific crops due to their climate. Various countries in Europe and Asia specialize in wheat and tobacco, cotton and wheat in England, sugarcane in Spain, citrus fruits in Italy , rice and cotton in Greece. Egypt produces cereals and sugarcane, while Peru has an abundance of potatoes and Brazil leads in chicken production.

LML

墨西哥产苏木、玉蜀黍、烟、麻、加非，而米尤盛。西印度诸岛尤饶兼热带诸产物，扣勃岛产糖冠天下，墨西哥加非尤盛，而烟、橙、凤梨有名矣。科仑比亚以椰为著，可制帽；其蓝、棉、加非、烟、蔗，又若树胶、苏术、则南美洲所独矣。智利、阿根廷产大小麦、葡萄、蔗；夏哇尼岛产面包；澳大利亚洲产竹椽、葡萄、小麦、玉蜀黍、棉、蔗、烟、米及诸果；此其大略也。凡五洲土产，各有所宜，分其地质之宜而种植、牧畜、渔取之。各小政府农曹及各农局公商界内种植、牧畜、渔取、称额之法，统计而决算之，分之各地农场。应用农人若干，应备化料若干，应备农具机器若干，应开垦若干，应分别种百谷、果、菜、树木，畜鸡、鸭、鹅与鱼、牛、马、羊、豕若干，厂场若干，各分其职而专为之极其琐细。分业愈多，则愈专而愈精，地无遗利，人无重业。及其种植、牧畜、渔产之收成，小政府商曹统计其度界内应留用之物品若干，预告之商部，而截留其若干。其馀种植、牧畜、渔产各品，为亿为兆，归之公政府商部；商部乃合收全球之农产而均输于各地，以所有易所无，以有馀补不足。其预备水旱、虫蝗、天灾、地变之不时者，曰预备额，略留多数以弥补各度界之凶荒灾患不时者。若无灾而有馀，则留以待下年之用；而下年之统计预算，即扣留之以宽地力。其农具、机器、化料皆购之于各地商店，其农人应给工价，随时议之。

The text is about the Mexican market, talking about its production and exportation of several products. Some of them include: the production of wood, wheat, tobacco, and fruits like oranges, pineapples and bananas. The text also mentions the production of several industrial items, which are exported to various countries. Mexico's exports are important for the global market. The country is also well-known for producing sugar and cotton. The text gives an overall summary of the Mexican market, its production and exportation of various products, and the production of industrial items too.

PMJ

每度界为一自治政府，立一农曹，其下数十里为一农局，其下数里为农场。其为稻、麦、黍、百谷、花果、草木、渔产、牧畜、各置分司，皆有主、伯、亚、旅、府、史、胥、徒以司之。主者总办也，伯者分司之提调也，亚者副之助之者也，旅者群执事也，府者收藏者也，史者统计及记事者也。其农场者，农田种植之所也；里数不定者，机器愈精，道路愈辟，人之智力愈强，则农场愈广也。每度农曹皆有地质调查局，将其本度内之山陵、原隰、坟衍、川海、人居为小模形，别其肥瘠及泥沙、水石之差，风雨、霜露之度，以色别而详识之。其地产之所宜及化料之所合，皆记而备之累年之报告调查，存考而求其进化。及其变更，皆有农学士多人岁时专考，而以报发明布告之，又皆有农学会以讲求之。其农学校有考验所，水产、牧畜、矿产皆然，择其最良之种而支配之，其恶种去之。凡农夫，皆得有农学考验证书而后用之；其未得证书而年逾二十者，亦得用为农夫，但不得为长及农学士矣；但其后有阅历日深，得有新义，亦许给证明书而迁为长伯、学士焉。其农曹立长，其下有副长，有参赞，有学士佐之，其下有史、府二官，胥、徒分任之，府、史皆有长、贰、掾属、胥、徒焉，其官数各视其地。其分曹之属，若百谷、花果、牧畜、渔产、矿产，各视其地之有无多寡以设司，无则缺之；全度界皆一物也，则农曹长自领之而不设司。

This paragraph introduces an agricultural system and complex methods used for efficient farming, such as using specialized machines, performing geological surveys, education (obtaining an agricultural examination certificate).

AHY

每一物品皆有调查讲习所，有学士多人聚而讲之，以报岁时发明布告之。其矿产、水产、山林，则有工师、技师司之，即学士也。凡分曹，其长、贰、参、佐，必由学士、工、技师出身，乃许任职，亦有府、史二官及胥、徒焉。其各农局，则分监督各农场者也，设于各农场适中之地，有长、副长、参赞以领之。其属有府、史二官以分领收藏、记事二职，有胥、徒焉以奔走其事。其百谷、花果、草木、渔产、牧畜、矿山皆有分曹，有主、伯、亚、旅以任之，并有学士、工师，设地质调查讲习所考求之，有报，以岁时发明布告之，与各度农曹同。其农场，若百谷、花果、树木、牧畜、渔产、矿产，划其地宜，数里以为之区。其各度人口之多寡，即以农场配分之，各有主、伯、亚、旅、府、史、胥、徒、学士、工、技师以任其事。主者总管全场之事；伯者分任农具、机器、用料、养料、化料、用人之事及各小区之监工也，并有亚以助之；旅者奔走管工者也；府则凡百谷、花果、树木、畜牧、水产、矿产之所入，司其收纳及支出以待农曹长之命，或截留之所耕之地，或交之近耕地之商店，或纳之农局、农曹之仓，皆听农曹府、史之统计而指拨之；史则凡本场种植、牧畜、渔、矿之事，日记而月省、岁计之，而上之于农局，以听指拨之命令；胥则奔走之人；徒则耕作渔牧之人也。其耕耘、收获、牧养、渔取，皆有部勒程度，其每日作工皆有时限。世愈平乐，机器愈精，则作工之时刻愈少，然作工之时，坐作进退，几如军令矣。

There are some geological research offices in which some new inventions will be discussed. Each agricultural school has a research bureau which is responsible for supervising each farm. It is led by a chief and his deputy. Research bureau is meant to study problems of each and every kind of product. As the equipment is more and more refined, the working hours could be shortened.

WYX

自农夫、渔、牧、矿工，各视其材之高下，阅历之浅深，以为工价之厚薄，略分十级。其尤者则拔迁农曹各司，但其长、贰，则必以学士、工师出身为之，可递迁为公政府各洲分政府农部官。其农夫、渔人、牧夫、矿工、林工至下级者，其俸令足为其衣食之资，自此等而上之可也。其支俸以先安息日给之，俾其游乐。其农场皆有室居，不住而别住客舍者听之；其场所皆有公园囿、公图书馆、戏院、音乐院以备游息，有公饭厅、公商店以备食宿，但规模稍粗而小耳。其演戏鼓乐，则诸农自为之。凡能任农事者，学校卒业之后，不论男女，皆许为农；其男女有交好者，许在公室同居焉。其公室，人占二室，一为卧室，一为客室，并有浴房；十人则为大公厅，皆高广疏达，花草楚楚，楼阁绵丽，过于今富室矣。其食，听人之所好而扣其费。又有公共讲堂，有讲师，每安息日，则讲古今道德品行贤豪之事及农业之事，以养其德性学识。其公室则公置之，不取值。其衣食之事，则由工金支之，出自费焉，听其自由，而工钱常留十分之一存于公中，为储金焉，以备其不愿作工而欲结友远游、购书之需。其稍远，则有公旅舍以备游行食宿，则收费矣；其去市近者，皆听其游。其告假不作工者听之，按日扣其工价；其太惰不作工及告假太多者逐之；凡累经逐者，削其名誉焉。其主、伯、府、史，职业虽优，而居室仍同，以示平等，但工金不同耳。其府司仓库者，不必纳押金，以是时人心无盗诈而商卖皆出于公也，但选阅历深、老成谨重者任之。

There is a society where workers are ranked based on skill and experience, with opportunities for advancement to administrative roles. Basic needs like housing and food are provided, and leisure activities are encouraged. Farming is esteemed, and graduates can pursue it regardless of gender. Couples can live together in public housing, which is well-equipped. Public amenities include parks, libraries, and theaters. Agricultural knowledge is shared through lectures on moral values and practical skills. Housing is assigned by rank, with communal areas for collective use. Financial support is provided through work-based income and savings. Discipline is enforced for those who refuse to work or abuse leave privileges. Public warehouses operate without requiring deposits, fostering trust in commercial transactions.