Details
The author assesses the mid T'ang Confucian revival by focusing on the life and ideals of the minister Lu Chih (754-805), otherwise known as Lu Hsuean-Kung. Lu Chih left few texts and has been overshadowed by Wei Cheng (580-643) but his honest and public-spirited endeavours to preserve his ideals at a time of national crisis has ensured that subsequent Chinese philosophers and scholars regard him as a model of statesmanship. Lu Chih's close relationship with Emperor Te-tsung produced letters which not only advised the ruler but also provide an often personal view of people and events. This highly readable study is also a history of the An Lu-Shan rebellion and the second Hopei rebellion that tore the empire apart, which, less than a century before, had been unrivalled in the world. Extracts are in English but an English-Chinese glossary concludes the book.