Research On The Social Thought Of Liuxiang’s 《xin Xu》

Liu Xiang is a famous Chinese history bibliographer, writer, historian and also a thinker. In the mid and late of the Western Han Dynasty there were many changes made Liu Xiang felt very anxious, for example the imperial power weakened, the virtuous and Loyalists officials were not be put in important positions, people’s life was increasingly poorer, Face those social realities Liu Xiang compiled a book named 《Xin Xu》, in order to remonstrate rulers take actions make it better. 《Xin Xu》 is the earliest work extant today compiled by Liu, it involves a large amount of historical facts and stories about the aspects of social life such as covering politics, economy, ethics and so on before late Western Han Dynasty. However, mostly researchers are combine it with Liu Xiang’s another two books 《Shuo Yuan》《Lie Nv Zhuan》equivalently in research and analysis on these books’ perspective of bibliography, literature et. Even comment on 《Xin Xu》alone, also tend to mention the political, human thought, and rarely analysis its social ideological systematic. Therefore, this article plan to use multi-disciplinary analysis method of history, philosophy, sociology, political science to analysis some detail objects. Those objects are monarch, minister, social morality, ethics of loyalty and filial,moral codes order et., though that we can learn more about the social thought which mainly comment on individual and political rule, laws and effective mechanism of social operation, social criticism, the ideal social order and so on systematic.The first chapter of this thesis explains why I want to write this thesis, the main content will be discussed and the positive result already achieve. The second chapter Liu Xiang’s Social Thought’s background, of course it was deeply effected by the generation’s social thought,the political realities of the late Western Han ideological ethos as well as Liu Xiang’s family background, academic and political career and so on. The third chapter expounds Liu Xiang’s social critical thinking, Liu Xiang focus on criticize the corrupted emperor, powerful courtiers, social extravagant prevailing to cause the contemporary people’ alert. The fourth chapter is the most important chapter of this thesis, because I think that Liu Xiang’s social thought reflects that seeking treatment avoiding chaos is the ultimate goal of social functioning, and that people play a key role in the social functioning, especially in the upper rulers monarchs and courtiers. In the process of realize that goal, monarch occupies the dominant position, courtiers in important auxiliary position. Monarch and courtiers should make concerted effort to take effective measures to achieve the target. Chapter five discusses Liu Xiang’s ideal social order, he expected to build a harmonious society that monarch wisely and the courtiers excellent, political correctness and the society not only warmth and stable, but also ranks in grade orderly. Liu Xiang’s these social thought in today still has a lot of positive significance, we should contact the realities of contemporary society, ancient reference today.