| Liu Xiang | |
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.PNG) | |
| Born | Liu Gengsheng 77 BCE Xuzhou,Western Han |
| Died | 6 BCE (aged 71) |
| Issue | Liu Xin |
| Father | Liu De, Marquis Miao of Yangcheng |
| Religion | Confucianism |
| Occupation | Astronomer, historian, librarian, poet, politician, writer |
| Liu Xiang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 劉向 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘向 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Liu Gengsheng | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 劉更生 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘更生 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 子政 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Liu Xiang (77–6 BCE[1]), bornLiu Gengsheng,courtesy nameZizheng, was a Chinese astronomer, historian, librarian, poet, politician, and writer of theWestern Han dynasty. Among his polymathic scholarly specialties were history, literary bibliography, and astronomy. He is particularly well known for his bibliographic work in cataloging and editing the extensive imperial library.
Liu Gengsheng was born inXuzhou. Being a distant relative ofLiu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, he was a member of the ruling dynastic clan (theLiu family). Liu Xiang's father ranked as amarquess.[2] Liu Xiang's son,Liu Xin, would continue the scholarly tradition of his father and his relativeLiu An (the Prince of Huainan).
By the beginning ofEmperor Yuan's reign, Liu Xiang was a member of a group of Confucian officials, including Xiao Wangzhi, who wished to limit the power of the emperor's female family membersrelatives' clans, the Shi and the Xu. He ended up on the losing side of a power struggle between the powerful eunuch's Hong Gong and Shi Xian. Briefly imprisoned, Liu Xiang was terminated from his official position, and he received no new appointments to the office for the next fifteen years.[3]
The succession ofEmperor Cheng to the imperial throne was accompanied by a realignment of power among the various factions involved in government, and Liu Xiang was able to revive his official prospects. In 26 BCE, at the command of the emperor, Liu Xiang spent much of the rest of the 20-odd years of his life engaged in the massive bibliographic work of organizing the imperial library.[4]: 51 This work was assisted by his son, Liu Xin, who finally completed the task after his father's death.
Liu compiled the first catalogue of the imperial library, theAbstracts(別錄,Bielu), and is the first known editor of theClassic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), which was finished by his son.[5] Liu also edited collections of stories and biographies, including theStrategies of the Warring States (Zhanguoce), theNew Prefaces (新序,Xinxu), theGarden of Stories (說苑,Shuoyuan), and theBiographies of Exemplary Women (Lienüzhuan).[citation needed] He has long erroneously been credited with compiling theBiographies of the Immortals (Liexian Zhuan), a collection of Taoisthagiographies and hymns.[6]
Liu Xiang was also a poet. He is credited with the "Nine Laments" ("Jiu Tan") that appears in theSongs of Chu.[7]
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