Republic Era

During the Republican period, despite the impact of scientism on metaphysics, it maintained vigorous vitality at the level of social practice. Stories of political, business, and cultural celebrities secretly consulting metaphysicians were common, and metaphysics continued to function as psychological comfort and decision-making reference within folk belief networks. More importantly, a group of metaphysicians emerged during this period who connected past and future; they were well-versed in ancient methods yet capable of reinterpreting metaphysics with modern thinking. The publication of metaphysical works formed a small peak during the 1920s and 1930s, and major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou saw the emergence of professional metaphysical research and service institutions, with traditional metaphysics finding new space for survival within modern social structures.

Key Figures

Xu Lewu — a Republican-era metaphysical giant, author of Ziping Zhenquan Pingzhu and Di Tian Sui Buzhu, providing detailed annotations to classics of the various schools, acclaimed as the 'modern titan of Ziping'; Lin Gengbai — Republican poet and politician, also a metaphysics enthusiast, author of Renjian and other metaphysical works, using Bazi to verify the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of historical figures

Important Works

Ziping Zhenquan Pingzhu — Xu Lewu's detailed annotation of Ziping Zhenquan, combining practical cases to expound pattern theory, the most important modern annotated edition of the pattern school; Renjian — by Lin Gengbai, analyzing historical celebrities with Bazi metaphysics, attempting to verify the accuracy of metaphysics through empirical methods

Historical Significance

The most precious legacy of the Republican transition period was the cultivation of a group of metaphysical inheritors who were thoroughly versed in both ancient and modern learning. They guarded the flame of metaphysical knowledge amid the tension between tradition and modernity, and their works remain important references for professional metaphysicians today. The modern consciousness and scholarly rigor of Republican-era metaphysicians prepared the talent and textual resources for the later prosperity of Hong Kong and Taiwan metaphysics.