In recent years, as the body of research on manuscripts of written conversations between modern Chinese and Japanese scholars has grown,the importance of these records to the study of modern Chinese history and Sino-Japanese exchanges has been increasingly acknowledged.This paper focuses on the manuscripts of written conversations between Ye Dehui and Morohashi Tetsuji,a Japanese Sinologist,analyzing their academic communications and ideological collisions over the study and history of Confucian classics,which could be considered characteristic of Sino-Japanese academic exchanges through the 1920s and 1930s.In May 1920,Morohashi travelled to Changsha in Hunan Province.During the stay,he visited Ye Dehui three times,and through the communication with Ye,not only confirmed the key academic issues in China at that time by learning the academic opinions of Chinese scholars, but also increased his understanding of the Chinese academic circle,and inspired his own research as the following three parts:Despite Morohashi initially regarding Ye Dehui as representative of Hunan scholars,and Ye indicating that he was different from Hunan scholars,Ye's academic identity was closely related to his division of the Confucian school.He pointed out to Morohashi the reasons for stagnation in Chinese academic history by reviewing its transitions over the past three hundred years based on the perspective of Han studies and Song studies.Morohashi,in turn observed that Sinology in Japan from the middle Meiji period was so influenced by China,that Han and Song studies had developed to be in conflict with one another,but that in his s opinion,as both part of the history of Confucian classics,they should be seen as complementary to each other.Morohashi devoted himself to Song studies,but also paid great attention to textual research,and his approach and Ye's academic opinion were both based on a shared understanding of the history of Confucian classics,which in turn reflects the common ground of the research method of Confucian classics shared by Chinese and Japanese scholars.Elsewhere in the written conversation,Ye Dehui criticized Kang Youwei and the school of New Text Confucianism,emphasizing the importance of Old Text Confucianism in the study of Confucian classics.He also pointed out that his view was consistent with that of Zhang Zhidong and Zhang Taiyan in″denouncing Kang Youwei for disordering China with New Text Confucianism″. Studies of the Gongyang School had gradually become a major focus of modern classics,and Zhang Taiyan fought openly with Kang Youwei for combining it with western knowledge,leading to the dispute between the schools of New Text Confucianism and Old Text Confucianism.A core issue in the study of Confucian classics is to clarify the definition of″Jing″and its relevance to Confucius.By expounding the transition of the meaning of the words″Ru″and″Jing″,Morohashi pointed out that in the pre-Qin period,Confucian scholars preferred to use″Zhuan″rather than″Jing″,so at that time″Jing″was not a special term among them.This analysis conforms to the description by the school of Old Text Confucianism.On the other hand,Morohashi conducted textual research to analyze the reason and the extent of Confucius'statement and deletion of the six classics.This analysis conforms to the position of the school of New Text Confucianism. Morohashi's absorption of the reasonable points of both schools showed his analysis to be an attempt to expand the study of the history of Confucian classics.Morohashi paid attention to Yan Yuan's theory after reading Ye Dehui's works.Starting with Dai Wang's compilation of Yanshi Xueji in 1869,the academic circles in the late Qing Dynasty gradually opposed the commendation of Yan Yuan's theory. By the New Culture Movement,Yan Yuan's theory was finally recommended by people from different positions at the same time.Although Ye warmed to the climate of admiring Yan Yuan at that time,he did not take Yan Yuan's opinion seriously in private.By contrast,Morohashi appreciated Yan Yuan's practical learning as the embodiment of the essence of Confucianism,and influenced the Mito School in Japan.Since the New Culture Movement,exploring the value of Confucianism in the study of the history of Confucian classics has become a difficult problem for Chinese scholars. Morohashi's approach in clarifying the universal value of Confucianism can be regarded as a reflection of and response to Chinese academic circle.