Hsün Yüeh (A.D. 148-209): The Life and Reflections of an Early Medieval Confucian

An interpretation of the political and intellectual preoccupations of the educated elite in early medieval China, based on a study of Hsün Yüeh, a leading scholar-official at the court of the last ruler of the Later Han. Hsün Yüeh lived at a time of great political upheaval and profound social change which marked the beginning of the long Age of Disunity in China. He saw the fabric of the empire torn and ruptured by palace eunuchs, frontier generals, regional warlords and local magnates. In his two important works, the Han-chi (Chronicles of Han) and the Shen-chien (Extended Reflections), Hsün Yüeh reviewed the history of the Han dynasty and discoursed upon the wider issues of his time. These works show a blending of Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism that characterises many Chinese thinkers of this period. Professor Chen makes a detailed study of Hsün Yüeh's life and works, analyses the historical events that had an important influence on him, and traces the influence which he exerted on the leading men of his own day and of subsequent ages.