Huainanzi and Liu An's Claim to Moral Authority

Griet Vankeerberghen is Assistant Professor in the History Department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

• Acknowledgments Introduction Introduction to Part I 1. Conflicting Views of Morality The Intellectual Climate at the Beginning of Emperor Wu's ReignThe King of Huainan's Place in the Intellectual SceneMoral ConflictGongsun Hong, Zhang Tang, and Events in Huainan after 124 B.C.Contemporaries' Reactions to the Huainan TrialTerror after 122 B.C. 2. The Triangle of Power: Emperor, Kings, and Officials The Kings: A Political HistoryThe Kings: An Alternative HistoryRelations between Emperor Wu and the King of Huainan before 123 B.C.The Events of 123-122 B.C. RevisitedConclusion 3. The Official Representation of the 123-122 B.C. Events Cycles in Emperor Wu's Reign: The Capture of the UnicornThe Transition from "Old" to "New"Liu An's Biography in Shi ji and Han shu Introduction to Part 2 4. The Goals of Human Action The ArcherAdjusting the ScaleRoots and BranchesWuwei 5. Following Nature On XingSages and NonsagesHumans' Tranforming PowerThe VirtuesWho Should Become a Sage?The Huainanzi and Dong Zhongshu's Memorials 6. Evaluating the Sage: Fate, History, and Human Responsibility The First Model: "Heaven Has No Favorites"The Second Model: The Case of Bo YiConclusion: Evaluations of Liu An and the Huainanzi Table 1. Chronology of Main Events in the Life of Liu AnTable 2. The Liu Kings, 202-120 B.C.Appendix 1. A Comparison of Liu An's Biographies in Shi ji 118 and Han shu 44 with a Preposed Reconstruction of Two Layers of Text NotesBibliographyIndex

"The topic is significant and central to the continuing debate over the nature of Han texts and the geopolitical context of their creation. Vankeerberghen's unpacking of Liu An's moral philosophy and the symbolism used in its structure will be helpful in further understanding the nature of the Huainanzi. Vankeerberghen's analysis of Liu An's relationship to the Han emperor is particularly interesting in the context of the changing structure of Han government." — Constance A. Cook, coeditor of Defining Chu: Image and Reality in Ancient China