Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; Maps; Chronology; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Literati and thought in the early and middle T'ang; 2. Liu Tsung-yüan and the circumstances of Ch'ang-an; 3. 805: the abortive reform; 4. Declaration of principles: Tao and antiquity; 5. Heaven, the supernatural, and Tao; 6. Literary theory, canonical studies and beyond; 7. Sources of Liu's Confucian thought; 8, The private sphere; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

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This study offers an interpretation of the origins of the T'ang-Sung intellectual tradition.

Reviews

"Chen's copious documentation is impressive on the whole... ...Chen's book is a strong and solid contribution to T'ang intellectual history, going beyond two previous studies in western languages..." Canadian Journal of History "It is competent, creative, and ambitious in concept...Scholars of the T'ang will be grateful for this work and will learn much from it." R. W. L. Guisso, Pacific Affairs "...a thorough and scholarly study and a valuable addition to the small body of material that is available on the subject in English." Edwin G. Pulleyblank, China Review International