Life

In 1848, Wang Tao went to Shanghai to visit his father. During his stay in Shanghai, Wang Tao visited the London Missionary Society Press. He was warmly greeted by Walter Henry Medhurst and his daughters Mary and Ellen. Wang Tao also met missionaries William Muirhead, Joseph Edkins, and William Charles Milne, all well versed in spoken and written Chinese language.

Work with the London Missionary Society

In 1849 Wang Tao's father died. Wang Tao was looking for a job to support his family. He was offered a job by Walter Henry Medhurst at the London Missionary Society Press in Shanghai assisting in his translation of the New Testament into Chinese. Wang Tao worked at the London Missionary Society Press for the next 13 years. In this period, he also translated many English books into Chinese in collaboration with missionaries Alexander Wylie and Joseph Edkins. These included Pictorial Optics, An Elementary Introduction to Mechanics, Concise History of Sino-British Trade, and A History of Astronomy of the Western Countries.

Refuge in Hong Kong

The middle of the 19th century was a period of turmoil in China. In 1860, the Taiping Rebellion had captured Suzhou, Changzhou, and was threatening Shanghai. During this period, Wang Tao was in contact with the leaders of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In 1862, he even wrote a letter under the pseudonym Wang Wan to a Taiping leader, proposing tactics against the Qing military and suggesting that westerners were not the enemy of Taiping. He stated that the real enemy was the Qing government; if the Taiping army could achieve victory over the Qing army led by Zeng Guofan, then the westerners might take side with the Taiping Kingdom.

When the Qing army captured Shanghai, this letter fell into the hands of the Qing government, and the Tongzhi Emperor ordered Wang Tao to be arrested. He took refuge in the British Consulate, remaining there for more than four months. In October 1862, a disguised Wang Tao, escorted by several people from the British Consulate, boarded an Ewo ship 怡和 for Hong Kong. This is how he left his homeland to which he was not to return for twenty-two years. In Hong Kong, he changed his name from Wang Libin to Wang Tao.

In Hong Kong, James Legge, the principal of the Anglo-Chinese College invited Wang Tao to stay at the London Mission Society hostel and to assist him in the translation of The Thirteen Classics. By 1865, Legge and Wang had completed the translation of Shang Shu and The Bamboo Book Annals.

In this period, Wang Tao also took on the job of editor in chief of a Chinese newspaper Hua Zi News in Hong Kong, this was the beginning of his journalism career.

Move to Scotland

In 1867, James Legge returned to his native Scotland, settling in the small town of Dollar in Clackmannanshire. He wrote a letter to Wang Tao, inviting him to come to Scotland to continue assisting in the translation of more Chinese classics. Wang Tao boarded a ship and departed from Hong Kong. The ship stopped over at Singapore, Ceylon, Penang, Aden, Messina, and Cairo before reaching Marseille. The voyage from Hong Kong to Marseille took more than forty days. Wang Tao took the opportunity of sightseeing in all the ports of call. From Marseille, he took a train to Lyon, then to Paris. He visited the Louvre, and also visited the sinologist Stanislas Julien at the Sorbonne. After a short stay of a little under two weeks, Wang Tao crossed the English Channel from Calais to Dover and rode a train to London. After sightseeing in London (The British Museum etc.), he headed to Scotland and settled down in Dollar.

During his journey Wang Tao jotted down his impressions of the places he visited. He later collected part of these material into his travel book, Jottings from Carefree Travel (1890), the very first travel book about Europe by a Chinese scholar.

In 1867 Wang Tao was invited by the Chamberlain of Oxford University to deliver a speech in Chinese, the first ever speech delivered by a Chinese scholar in Oxford. He talked about the importance of cultural exchange between east and west, and claimed that the whole world was heading toward a common great unity (大同).

By the Spring of 1870 the translation of various classics such as The Book of Songs, I Ching, and The Book of Rites were completed.

During 1867-1870, Wang Tao travelled to many places, including Edinburgh, Aberdeen,

Huntly, Dundee and Glasgow, or took short trips to Rumbling Bridge Park, Castle Campbell, Tillicoultry, Alva and Stirling Castle; sometimes accompanied by James Legge and his third daughter Mary.

The travel notes about these places were also included in Jottings of Carefree Travel.

Return to Hong Kong

Having finished his part in the translation of the Chinese Classics, Wang Tao returned to Hong Kong in the winter of 1870. In Hong Kong, he wrote two influential books: A Brief Introduction to France and Report on the Franco-Prussian War. The latter was highly regarded by high mandarins of the Qing government, including Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, and paved the way for his final pardon by the Qing government later.

In 1872, Wang Tao bought the printing press of London Mission in Hong Kong and founded the Zhong Hua General Printing House.

On February 5, 1874 Wang Tao founded Tsun-wan yat-po (1874–1947, Universal Circulating Herald), the first Chinese daily newspaper in history. Lin Yutang called Wang Tao the 'Father of the Chinese Newspaper'.

During his ten-year career as editor in chief of Universal Circulating Herald, Wang Tao penned close to a thousand editorials calling for the reform of the Chinese political system, by adopting a British style parliamentary monarchy. He also called for reform of the educational system by introducing western science to the curriculum; he called for the establishment of textile, railway, machinery and mining industries. His reformist editorial articles reached a wide audience.

He was the de facto forerunner of the reformist movement in China. Many of his reformist articles were later published as a volume: Collection of Essays from The Tao Garden.

Visit to Japan

In 1879, at the invitation of Japanese literati, including Nakamura Masanao. Wang Tao spent over four months in Japan. He visited many cities such as Nagasaki, Nagoya and Tokyo, and notes of this journey became one of his books: A Record of Travels in Japan (Fu-sang yu-chi).

In Japan, wherever he went, he was surrounded by literati, and sometimes rode in sedan chairs carried by eight men. As a scholar who had lived in Europe and who had an in-depth understanding of European politics and culture, he enjoyed very high esteem in Japan. His travel needs were taken care of by the Qing Embassy in Japan.

Wang Tao was apparently quite moved by his warm welcome in Japan; he wrote that when he left Japan, he was treated with a grand dinner party attended by more than one hundred celebrities, and that he never thought he could become so famous and important, because during his youth at Puli township, he was a nobody. "How lucky I am to get such welcome by foreign scholars several thousand miles away".

Wang expressed an admiration for Japan's modernisation through selective use of Western institutions and technology; however, later he became distrustful of Japan's foreign policy, especially after the annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Return to Shanghai

The fame Wang Tao enjoyed overseas must have affected the Qing government. In 1884, the influential Li Hongzhang sent a letter to the governor of Shanghai, writing: "That gentleman from Kunshan is a rare genius with encyclopedic knowledge. It is a pity he took exile in Hong Kong, if it is possible to get his service for us, we don't mind a king's ransom".

In the spring of 1884, Wang Tao and his family returned to Shanghai and settled down in Wusong district, he also founded Tao Garden Publishing House. He nicknamed himself "The Recluse of Tao Garden".

In 1886, Wang Tao became the head of Gezhi College in Shanghai, where he promoted Western style education.

In 1890, Wang Tao published his travelog Jottings from Carefree Travels.

He also worked part-time for Shen Pao and International Tribune as special columnist; he wrote about two hundred short stories for Shen Pao, China's most important journal of the age.

In April 1897 Wang Tao died in Shanghai at age 70.

Impact

Many Chinese literati before Wang Tao introduced western ideas and translated books into Chinese. Wang Tao was the first Chinese scholar who participated in two way cultural exchange; on the one hand, Wang Tao worked with W.A. Medhurst, A. Wylie and J. Edkins to translate western religion books and western sciences into China; on the other hand, he also played an important role in assisting James Legge in the translation of a large number of important ancient Chinese classics into English.

Wang Tao forged a bridge between China and the West.

Wang Tao Memorial Hall is located in a Qing style house at No 6. Zhongshi Street, Luzhi township, Suzhou city, China.

Works

Translations by James Legge assisted by Wang Tao

(The list below is incomplete)

• James Legge: The Sacred Books of China. The Text of Confucianism (Oxford 1885)

• The Book of Change

• Shu Ching Book of History

• Lao Tsu

• The Hsiao King Or Classic Of Filial Piety

• The Chinese Classics : Confucian Analects, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Works of Mencius (reprint), Oriental Book Store,

Some of the above listed translations are available as ebooks for as low as $2 each, because no one holds the copyright. However some of the original books are now rare collector's items, with prices as high as $4500.

Wang Taos work in English

• My Sojourn in Hong Kong. In John and Kirstin Miller, Hong Kong. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.

• Selections from Jottings from Carefree Travels you sui lu. Tr. Ian Chapman. Renditions 53/54

• Writings of Wang Tao. excerpts. In Ssu-yu Teng and John K. Fairbank : China's Response to the West: A Documentary Survey, 1839-1923. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1954, 137-42.

• McAleavy, Henry: Translation of 'Mei-Li Hsiao Chuan'媚丽小传，a Short Story by Wang T'ao, 1953.

Translations from English into Chinese

• A History of Astronomy of the Western Countries (西国天学源流, Xīguó Tiānxué Yuánliú), translated with A. Wylie in 1858

• W. Whewell's An elementary treatise on mechanics (重学浅说, Zhòngxué Qiǎnshuō), translated with A. Wylie

Books and Articles in Chinese

• 普法战纪 Pu Fa Zhan Ji (Franco-Prussian War)

• 法国志略 Brief History of France

• 《淞滨琐话》 (Song Bin Shuo Hua) (Stories from the Shore of Wushong) . A collection of short stories written by Wang Tao after he returned to Shanghai, one story a time on newspaper, then collected into book form. The style of this story book was inspired by Pu Songling's Liao Zhai Zhi Yi Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, hence this book was also renowned as Liao Zhai Zhi Yi—The Sequel. The translation of "Song bin" as Shore of Wushong is my interpretation. In his later years, he lived at Wushong district at the north part of Shanghai.

• 漫遊随录图记 : "Man Yiu Shui Lu Tu Ji " ("Jottings and Drawings from Carefree Travel" ) , 山东画报出版社 2004/6. This book was first published in Shanghai in 1890, text by Wang Tao, drawings by Zhang Zhi Yi. ::50 of the 51 illustrations in Wang Tao's book "Man Yiu Shui Lu" were drawn by Zhang Zhi Yin before 1887 AD. It is quite clear that these drawings were not life sketches of real scenes.

• 韬园文录外编 (Collection of Essays from The Tao Garden) , 上海书店 2002

• Jing Shu Jie Chun A Collection of Studies in Classics

• Xi Shu Jie Chun A Collection on Studies in Western Ideas.

• Biography of Stanislas Aignan Julien

• Biography of Dr. Benjamin Hobson.

Books on Wang Tao

• Cohen, Paul A, Between Tradition and Modernity: Wang T'ao and Reform in Late Ch'ing China, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1988

• McAleavy (H), Wang T'ao. The Life and Writings of a Displaced Person (with a Translation of 'Mei-Li Hsiao Chuan', a Short Story by Wang T'ao, 1953.) A lecture delivered at The China Society of London on 22 May 1952.

生平

童年和少年

清道光八年十月四日（1828年11月10日）生于蘇州府長洲縣甫里村（今江蘇省蘇州市吳中區甪直鎮）。王韜的少年在甫里渡過：「余少居甫里，莫有知余者」。王韜五歲，由母親教識字。父親是鄉村私塾先生，王韜隨父親熟讀四書五經，打下紮實的經學基礎。王韜少年閒時常到甫里鎮上唐代詩人陸龜蒙留下的鬥鴨池賞荷花，或到明代梅花別墅探梅，最愛在夕陽將落時分，到保聖禪院聽松，「有如千軍萬馬聲，又如千山落葉，萬豁泉流」，畢生難忘。四十多年之後，王韜在1882年，1885年，1887年三返家鄉，必游保聖禪院，並對隨行的朋友們講述少年時保聖禪院聽松的往事。道光二十四年（1843年），王韜到崑山應縣考，中秀才。道光二十七（1846年）到金陵應考，不第。

墨海書館

道光二十八年（1847年）王韜到上海探望父親，順便參觀倫敦會傳教士麥都思主持的墨海書館，得麥都思和其長女瑪麗、次女婭蘭以葡萄酒和音樂款待，並帶領王韜參觀「光明無纖翳，洵屬琉璃世界」的印刷廠房。

王韜對按字母次序排列整齊的活字架，一天能印幾千本書的活字版印刷機很感興趣，心中有了日後自己辦書館的想法。王韜在墨海書館結識了美魏茶、慕維廉、艾約瑟等傳教士。

1848年，王韜父親病故。王韜此時家有嬌妻幼女，必須找工作維持生計；得傳教士麥都思聘請，到上海墨海書館工作。墨海書館的工資比他在家鄉教書所得高得多，王韜有了穩定收入。王韜和家眷就住在墨海書館宿舍，室內挂一副對聯：「短衣匹馬隨李廣，紙閣蘆窗對孟光」。王韜在墨海書館任麥都思的助手，重新翻譯《聖經》。

在1843年香港舉辦的英國倫敦傳道會代表大會上，多數代表認為早先馬禮遜翻譯的聖經包含太多俚語，遂決定由倫敦傳道會上海分會麥都思、米憐在上海重新組織翻譯《聖經》。初步翻譯工作由倫敦會教友完成。1847年6月開始，以麥都思、米憐為首的五人代表小組，在周一至周五每天開會研討四小時。每名代表各有自己的翻譯員（王韜是麥都思的翻譯），逐字逐句對照原文進行討論，提出修改意見。新約在1850年翻譯完畢，舊約則在1853年翻譯完畢。這部《新約》被稱為《聖經》「代表譯本」。代表譯本文句通順，被英國聖經公會（British and Foreign Bible Society）採納為海外標準本，短短六年間已經印行十一版，成為在中國最流行的聖經譯本。王韜功不可沒。

王韜在墨海書館工作十三年，還先後和偉烈亞力、艾約瑟等傳教士，翻譯出版《華英通商事略》、《重學淺說》、《光學圖說》、《西國天學源流》等書，為西學東漸作出了貢獻。

1850年十月，王韜的年輕妻子病故。

根據倫敦會1855年61屆大會報告，王韜在1854年8月26日，接受洗禮，正式成為基督徒。

避難香港

王韜曾多次給江蘇巡撫徐君青等上書，主張與英法修好，並學習西方。雖有部分得以採用，但「然用其言而乃棄其人」

1860年，李秀成率領的一支太平軍陷蘇州、常州、進迫上海。在這期間王韜回蘇州老家探望老母時，結識太平天國地方長官劉肇均（劉紹慶），受其器重。王韜于1862年2月4日化名黃畹上條陳，從戰略上為太平軍獻策，言上海洋人志在通商，對太平天國沒有威脅，應集中兵力對付西線的湘軍，並希望劉肇均轉交李秀成。但李秀成並未採納。1862年3月7月清軍攻破李秀成王家寺七堡壘的軍營，王韜陳條落入清軍之手，江蘇巡撫薛煥見此大驚，火速呈報朝廷，同治帝閱後，四月二十五日下旨：「……惟逆黨黃畹為賊策劃，欲與洋人通好，與軍務實有關係……至該逆所稱派撥黨與赴洋涇濱潛住，並勾結遊民作內應，計殊凶狡，並著李鴻章、薛煥嚴密防範，黃畹是否見匿上海，或竄赴他處？著曾國藩等迅速查拿，毋任漏網。」（「長毛狀元」外號由此而來）。

當時墨海書館館長麥都思之子麥華陀爵士正是英國駐上海領事。王韜在上海英國領事館避難四個多月。1862年10月，在英國領事館人員護送下搭乘一艘怡和洋行的郵輪亡命香港。香港英華書院院長——漢學家理雅各是上海墨海書館館長麥都思的老友，便安排王韜住在香港倫敦教會的宿舍，並聘請王韜協助翻譯《十三經》。理雅各在王韜協助下翻譯出《尚書》和《竹書紀年》。理雅各在空暇時常邀請王韜到薄扶林寓所小住。王韜初到香港，無親無故，多仗理雅各資助才能渡過難關。

在此期間，王韜還兼任香港《華字日報》主筆，這是他從事華文新聞事業的開端。

王韜論香港

王韜旅居香港，zh-hans:工余;zh-hant:工餘之暇，勤涉書史。當時罕有關于香港的史料，王韜尋訪故老，收集關于香港的資料，著《香港略論》、《香海羈蹤》、《物外清游》等三篇文章，記述香港的地理環境，英人未來前的狀況，英人割據香港後設立的官府、制度和兵防，以及十九世紀中葉香港的學校、教會、民俗等歷史資料。王韜有關香港的文章，是有關香港早期歷史的重要文獻。

歐洲之旅

遊歷歐洲

1867年理雅各離開香港回蘇格蘭家鄉克拉克曼南郡的杜拉村。理雅各來信邀請王韜到歐洲遊歷並前來蘇格蘭繼續幫助翻譯中國經典。十一月二十日王韜乘輪船啟行。取道新加坡、檳榔嶼、錫蘭、亞丁、開羅出地中海經墨西拿抵達法國馬賽。由香港到馬賽全程四十多日。每經過一個停泊港口，王韜必定遊覽一番，並寫下遊記。王韜從馬賽轉搭火車經里昂到達法京巴黎。王韜在巴黎遊覽盧浮宮等名勝，並拜訪索邦大學漢學家儒蓮。王韜在巴黎小住十幾天後繼續搭火車到加來港口轉搭渡輪過英吉利海峽到英國多佛爾港，改乘火車到英京倫敦。當時理雅各正在倫敦，便陪同王韜遊覽大英博物館、聖保羅大教堂等英京名勝。

王韜在牛津大學演講

牛津大學校長特邀王韜到大學以華語演講。這是有史以來第一位中國學者在牛津大學講話。王韜談到中英通商的歷史，維多利亞女王遣人到廣東，開始了英國的東方貿易，後來英國官員斯當東始學漢語，隨後來華的英國人才通中國語言文字。王韜希望兩國繼續和睦共處。「是時一堂聽者無不鼓掌蹈足，同聲稱讚。」當時在牛津大學學習漢語的學生，多經國家選拔後，授予官職，派往印度和中國當翻譯。王韜還談到孔子之道與西方天道，孔子之道為人道，西方之道雖是天道，但傳西道的還是繫於人。「此心同此理也，請一言以決之，曰其道大同」。

旅居蘇格蘭

王韜離開倫敦後，在蘇格蘭克拉克曼南郡的杜拉村居住。假日理雅各和他的三女瑪麗常陪王韜遊覽鄰近的杜拉山、坎伯古堡、替里扣特里鎮、阿羅威、斯特靈城堡，也遊覽了愛丁堡，參觀愛丁堡大學，遊覽阿伯丁、亨得利、格拉斯哥、丹迪等地。一如往日，王韜每游一地都寫下紀錄，後來在上海編入《漫遊隨錄圖記》。1870年春理雅各和王韜完成了《詩經》、《易經》、《禮記》等中國經典的翻譯。王韜旅居蘇格蘭期間，應用西方天文學方法研究中國古代日食紀錄，著有《春秋日食辨正》、《春秋朔閏至日考》等天文學著作。

返港創辦《循環日報》

1870年冬理雅各返回香港，重新主持英華書院，王韜隨同返香港，在鴨巴甸（今香港仔）租了一間背靠山麓的小屋，名之為「天南遁窟」，自號「天南遁叟」，從事著述之餘，仍舊出任《華字日報》主筆。在此期間，王韜編譯了《法國志略》、《普法戰紀》，先後在《華字日報》連載，上海《申報》轉載。後來王韜《普法戰紀》編輯成21萬字的單行本。《普法戰紀》很受李鴻章重視。《普法戰紀》傳入日本，也引起很大的反響。

1872年東華醫院在香港創立，王韜被選入東華醫院第一屆董事會。

1873年理雅各返回蘇格蘭，王韜買下英華書院的印刷設備，在1874年創辦世界上第一家成功的華資中文日報——《循環日報》，因此王韜被尊為中國第一報人。王韜自任主筆十年之久，在《循環日報》上發表八百餘篇政論，宣傳中國必須變法，興辦鐵路、造船、紡織等工業以自強。王韜發表在《循環日報》的政論，每篇千字左右，短小精悍，切中時弊。他被認為是中國新聞界政論體的創始人。1875年王韜發表了著名的《變法自強上》、《變法自強中》、《變法自強下》三篇政論，在中國曆史上首次提出「變法」的口號，比鄭觀應《盛世危言》早18年，比康有為、梁啓超變法維新早23年。據學者羅香林考証，康有為在1879年曾遊歷香港，正值王韜擔任《循環日報》主筆，發表大量變法政論之時，因此，康有為的變法思想極可能是受王韜影響。王韜無疑是中國變法維新運動的先驅。

旅日考察

王韜的《普法戰紀》一書和發表在《循環日報》上的變法維新政論，深受日本維新派重視。光緒五年（1879年）三月，王韜應日本一等編修重野成齋、《報知社》主筆慄本鋤雲、蕃士岡鹿門、中村正直、寺田望南、佐田白茅等名士邀請，前往日本進行為期四個月的考察。王韜在此期間結識一批日本維新人士，考察了東京、大阪、神戶、橫濱等城市，寫成《扶桑遊記》。在日本期間，王韜還在東京謁見清廷駐日大使何如璋、副使張斯桂、參贊黃遵憲。

終老上海

• 王韜在英國、日本的名望和他的變法維新政論，使清廷重臣李鴻章刮目相看，認為王韜是「不世英才，胸羅萬有」希望召羅為用。

• 光緒八年（1882年），王韜曾回上海探路，矚香港洪茂才校對《弢園文錄外編》，由香港印務總局排印。

• 光緒十年（1884年），王韜終于回到他闊別二十二年的上海，定居在滬北吳淞江濱的淞隱廬。此時王韜被聘為《申報》編輯。適逢中法戰爭，王韜寫了很多時評並給盛宣懷等人寫了很多信，發表看法和建議，開始主張「慎兵保和」，後來主張「戰之以恆」。

• 光緒十一年（1885年），王韜創辦弢園書局，以木活字出版書籍。

• 光緒十二年（1886年），任格致書院山長，主持推行西式教學。

• 光緒十三年（1887年），著《淞濱瑣話》。

• 光緒十六年（1890年），石印出版《漫遊隨錄圖記》，入秋，王韜被聘為《萬國公報》特約寫稿人。

• 光緒二十年（1894年），孫中山拜見王韜，王韜為孫中山修改《上李傅相書》，安排在《萬國公報》發表。

• 光緒二十三年四月二十三日（1897年5月24日），王韜病逝上海城西草堂。

政治、經濟、軍事思想

變法自強。王韜有樸素的辯証法思想，他根據易經中「窮則變，變則通」的道理，斷定「天下事未有久而不變者」；他寫道「中國何嘗不變」。王韜對中國前途充滿信心，「吾知中國不及百年，必且盡用泰西之法而駕乎其上」。王韜主張以歐洲強國為榜樣。具體辦法有四：

• 改革科舉取士法

• 改革練兵法

• 改革教育

• 廢除繁文

君民共主論。在中國曆史上王韜最早提倡廢除君主專制，建立「與眾民共政事，並治天下」的君主立憲制度。王韜將世界各國的政治制度，分為三種：

• 君主之國，如俄羅斯、奧地利、普魯士、土耳其，國家元首為帝。王韜認為，君為主，必須有堯、舜帝在上，才能長治久安。

• 民主之國，如法國、瑞士、美國，國家元首為「統領」。王韜認為民主之國，「法制多紛更，心志難專一，究其極，不無流弊」。

• 君民共主之國，如英國、意大利、葡萄牙、西班牙、丹麥。「朝廷有兵刑禮樂賞罰諸大政，必集眾于上下議院，君可而民否，不能行，民可而君否，亦不得行也，必君民意見相同，而後可頒之遠近，此君民共主也。」「唯君民共治，上下相通，民隱得以上達，君惠得以下遞……如中國三代以上之遺意。」

主張改革軍事。王韜主張革新兵器，廢除弓箭、大刀、長矛，換成新式火器；將帆船換為輪船，「師其所能，奪其所持。」王韜認為單按西法製造槍炮、輪船、建築鐵路，只不過是抄襲皮毛，更重要的是要變革軍隊的制度和訓練方法。

實業強國。王韜認為富強為強國之本，必須大力興利：

• 開發鐵礦、煤礦、金礦、銀礦、銅礦、水銀礦等；

• 開發羊毛、棉布、絲綢紡織業；

• 發展海陸交通，造輪船、建築鐵路。

王韜認為「諸利既興，而中國不富強者，未之有也」。

著作

理雅各、王韜中譯英

• James Legge: The Sacred Books of China. The Text of Confucianism（Oxford 1885年）

• The Book of Change （ISBN 0883560003，易經）

• Confucius Analects （論語）

• Mencius （孟子）

• Shu Ching Book of History （書經）

• Lao Tsu （老子）

• The Hsiao King Or Classic Of Filial Piety （ISBN 1419166875，孝經）

• THE FOUR BOOKS. CONFUCIAN ANALECTS. THE GREAT LEARNING. THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN. THE WORKS OF MENCIUS.（四書：論語、大學、中庸、孟子）

科學技術

• 王韜、艾約瑟 譯：《光學圖說》、《格致新學提綱》、《中西通書》。

• 王韜、偉烈亞力 譯：《西國天學源流》、《重學淺說》、《華英通商事略》

• 王韜 等 編譯： 《西學輯存六種》、《西學原始考》、《泰西著述考》

• 《火器說略》

經學著述

• 《國朝經籍志》、《皇清經解校勘記》、《周易集釋》、《禮記集釋》、《毛詩集釋》。

史學著述

• 《法國志略》、《普法戰紀》、《法蘭西志》、《重訂法國志略》、《美利堅志》、《俄志》、《日本通中國考》、《琉球朝貢考》、《法越交兵記》、《西古史》、《西事凡》

天文歷算

• 《春秋日食辨正》、《春秋朔閏至日考》、《春秋朔至表》

政論

• 《弢園文錄外編》 ISBN 7-5348-1710-2

• 《台事紀聞》

文學

• 《法國儒蓮傳》、《弢園老民自傳》、《花國劇談》、《三恨錄》、《衡花館日記》、《東遊日記》、《苕華盧日記》、《衡花館詩錄》、《蘅華館詩錄附存》、《蘅華館雜著》、《遁窟讕言》、《歇浦芳叢志》、《瑤台小錄》、《泰西著述考》、《茗薌寮志》、《弢園著述》、《弢園著述總目》、《探地記》、《麗農山人事實雜錄》、《甕牖余談》、《漁陬冶遊錄》、《淞隱廬雜識》、《弢園藏書志》、《瀛壖雜誌》、《弢園尺牘》、《弢園叢書》、《弢園筆乘》、《弢園尺牘續鈔》、《弢園經學輯存》、《艷史從鈔》、《香艷從書》、《艷史二十種》、《弢園日記》、 《滬城聞見錄》、《海陬冶遊錄》、《格致書院課藝》、《園筆乘》。

• 《漫遊隨錄圖記》 ISBN 7-80603-956-2

• 《淞濱瑣話》 十二卷 ISBN 7-5366-3197-9

• 《淞隱漫錄》 人民文學出版社 1999 ISBN 7020028330

• 王韜著《弢園文新編》，主編錢鍾書、執行主編朱維錚； 北京三聯書店 1998 ISBN 710801145-X

王韜作品英譯

• 《漫遊隨錄》："Selections from Jottings of Carefree Travels". Tr. Ian Chapman. Renditions 53/54

• 《漫遊隨錄圖記·香海羈蹤》："My Sojourn in Hong Kong." John and Kirstin Miller, Hong Kong. San Franscisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.

• 《淞隱漫錄·媚麗小傳》：McAleavy (H): Translation of 'Mei-Li Hsiao Chuan'，a Short Story by Wang T'ao，1953。

王韜研究

• 《王韜與近代世界》，林啟彥、黃文江 編, 香港教育圖書, 2000 ISBN 962-948-096-7

• 《王韜評傳》，張海林 著，南京大學出版社，1993 ISBN 7-305-01949-6

• 《王韜評傳》，忻平 著，上海：華東師範大學出版社，1990 ISBN 7-5617-0465-8

• 《王韜研究》，王立群 著，中國早期「口岸知識分子」形成的文化特徵（博士論文）

• 《王韜年譜》，張志春 編著，河北教育出版社，1994 ISBN 7-5434-1905-X

• 《王韜傳記資料》，朱傳譽 主編，台北天一出版社，1979.

• 《王韜著作》：費正清："Writings of Wang Tao." excerpts. In Ssu-yu Teng and John K. Fairbank : China's Response to the West: A Documentary Survey, 1839-1923. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1954, 137-42.

• Cohen, Paul A.：Between Tradition and Modernity: Wang T'ao and Reform in Late Ch'ing China (Harvard East Asian Monographs) ISBN 0674068769

• 中譯本：（美）柯文著，雷頤、羅檢秋譯，《傳統與現代性之間：王韜與晚清的改革》，江蘇人民出版社，1994 ISBN 7-214-01271-5

• McAleavy (H):Wang T'ao. The Life and Writings of a Displaced Person. With a Translation of 'Mei-Li Hsiao Chuan', a Short Story by Wang T'ao，1953。 A lecture delivered at The China Society of London on 22 May 1952。

• Vittinghoff, Natascha:Die Anfänge des Journalismus in China (1860 –1911) Harrassowitz Verlag Wiesbaden 2002 ISBN 3447046341

• 王宏志：〈南來文化人：王韜模式〉。

• （美）柯文著，《變動中的中國曆史研究視角》