Biography of Jing Fang

Author: Lu Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-10-01
Features: The subject of this book is Jing Fang, a famous scholar and (I Ching expert) from the Western Han Dynasty. There has been relatively little systematic research on him so far. This book directly delves into the surviving materials of Jing Fang's writings, aiming to evaluate and introduce his era and academic influence through his works. Under the atmosphere of Dong Zhongshu's exclusive promotion of Confucianism, Jing Fang explored the multifaceted connections between the (I Ching) and society, as well as with the natural world. He attempted to establish a cosmic model of the (I Ching) and a (heaven-human model), as well as a model of interconnectedness among all things in the universe or between heaven and earth. He also sought to explain and predict certain events and their trends based on the models he might establish. Jing Fang did not complete his exploration before losing his life in political struggles within the court. As a result, the surviving writings are incomplete, mostly being excerpts quoted by later scholars. This book strives to construct a possible system of Jing Fang's academia through the exploration of these materials and to explain his influence on later generations.