Li Tao (1115–1184),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Renfu or Zizhen,

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

Xunyan, was a

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

historian and

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

who devoted four decades of his life compiling '' Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'', a monumental reference book chronicling the history of the Northern Song (960–1127).

Early life

Li Tao was a direct descendant of Li Si (李偲),

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty fo ...

's grandson who narrowly escaped from the persecution of

Empress Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as empress consort through her husband Emperor Gaozong and later as empr ...

to settle in Danleng, Mei Prefecture, in 8th-century

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. Li Tao's father Li Zhong (李中), a 15th-generation descendant of Li Si, passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

in 1109 during the

. He was well known for his knowledge in history and the

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. Li Tao read widely from a young age, not only Confucian classics but also history, medicine, agriculture,

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

and

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

. A believer of ''

I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...

'', he made an effort to modify his daily conduct and learning to its teachings. But his greatest passion was in the field of history: he devoted himself to the learning of '' The Spring and Autumn Annals'', looked up to

Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', a monumental work of history. B ...

and strongly believed that history should be written as a guide for

Confucian ethics Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

. In 1132 he scored first in the local examination in Mei Prefecture, and six years later he passed the imperial examination. In between, he wrote two historical essays "The Mirror of Both Han Dynasties" (兩漢鑑) and "The Discussion about the Restoration of Righteousness" (反正議), focusing on the morality lessons of his historical subjects.

Official career

Under Emperor Gaozong

Having passed the imperial examination in 1138, he was appointed Assistant Magistrate (主簿) of Huayang (華陽; in modern

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

) in Chengdu Prefecture, but he with permission postponed the appointment to pursue further studies at home, assuming office only in 1142. When chief councilor Qin Hui heard of Li's literary fame, he offered Li a position in the central government, but Li rejected the offer on the grounds that their views differ. This directly prevented him from entering the central bureaucracy for the next 20 years. At the local post, Li Tao spent his time collecting and arranging historical sources. He went home to mourn his late father in 1147 and became the Prefectural Judge (推官) of Ya Prefecture three years later. This was when he started working on '' Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'', an annalistic work intended to follow

's monumental ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

''. Like Sima Guang before him, he began gathering the veritable records (實錄), the reign histories (國史) and biographies for his project. In 1159, when he worked under the Sichuan Military Commissioner (四川制置使) Wang Gangzhong (王剛中), he published an article titled "Ten Comments on Li Yue and Others" (李悅等十事) which denounced Qin Hui and

Cai Jing Cai Jing (1047–1126), courtesy name Yuanchang (), was a Chinese calligrapher and politician who lived during the late Northern Song dynasty of China. He is also fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists in '' Water Margin'', one of t ...

. A year after he was appointed Prefect (知州) of Rong Prefecture.

Under Emperor Xiaozong

In 1163, Li Tao finished the first 17 chapters of ''Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'', which covers the reign of

Emperor Taizu of Song Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founding emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished milita ...

. In 1167 he was recommended by the new Sichuan Military Commissioner Wang Yingchen (汪應辰) and went to the capital Lin'an Prefecture to serve as Assistant Official (員外郎) in the Ministry of War (兵部). He was concurrently appointed Official of the Bureau of Compilator of the Reign History (國史院編修官), and his unfinished ''Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'' was included in the

Palace Library The Palace Library (; in Vietnam: 秘書所, ''Bí thư sở'') was a central government agency in Imperial and monarchical China, Korea, and Vietnam generally in charge of maintaining and archiving the collection of the monarch's documents. C ...

. In 1168, he presented his unfinished book, now covering Song history from 960 to 1067 in roughly 108 chapters, to

Emperor Xiaozong of Song Emperor Xiaozong of Song (27 November 1127 – 28 June 1194), personal name Zhao Shen, courtesy name Yuanyong, was the 11th Emperor of China, emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the second emperor of the Song dynasty#Southern Song, 112 ...

. In 1169 he became Vice Director of the Palace Library (秘書少監) and concurrently an Imperial Diarist (起居舍人). He proposed to recompile the veritable records for

Emperor Huizong of Song Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calli ...

because of their "partiality and carelessness". In 1170, he was made the Examining Editor (檢討官) of the newly established Bureau of Compilation of Veritable Records (實錄院). When Wang Yingchen suffered a political setback, Li Tao as his protégé was ousted from the central government. He served as Vice Fiscal Commissioner (轉運副使) of Jinghu North Circuit and concurrently Fiscal Governor-General of Jinghu and Guangnan Circuits. Before long he was summoned back to Lin'an and restored to his ranks and titles. Later, chief councilor Yu Yunwen feared Li's opposition to his plans to attack the

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

, so he made Li the Military Intendant of Tongchuan (潼川; in modern Sichuan) and the Administrator of Lu Prefecture (in modern Sichuan). Thereafter Li Tao served as Vice Fiscal Commissioner of Jiangnan West Circuit. By 1174 he had finished 280 chapters of ''Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian''. Li Tao came back to the central government for the third time in 1176, when he assumed the posts of Director of the Palace Library, Provisional Associate Compiler of the Bureau of Compilation of Reign History (國史院) and Associate Compiler of Bureau of Compilation of Veritable Records. In 1177 he finished the last part of ''Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'' and was honored as a Vice Minister (侍郎) of the

Ministry of Rites The Ministry or Board of Rites was one of the Six Ministries of government in late imperial China. It was part of the imperial Chinese government from the Tang (7th century) until the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. Along with religious rituals and c ...

. He was also joined in the Palace Library and the historical bureaus by his son Li Hou (李垕), who worked with him in the compilation of historical materials. But when Li Hou was impeached for an allegedly blasphemous exam question which he used on university students, Li Tao was also demoted to Administrator of Changde Prefecture. In 1181 he was transferred to Administrator of Suining Prefecture. In 1180, the Bureau of Compilation of Reign History finished the treatise chapters of its ''Sichao Guozhi'' (四朝國志; "The Reign History of Four Thrones"), with Li Tao authoring the chapters on geography. Much information of the other chapters was taken from ''Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'', and Li Tao continued to write the biography chapters. He also edited ''Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'' into a 980-chapter book, and wrote the summary (68 chapters), the general catalogue (5 chapters) and the compilation accounts (10 chapters). The finished book was finally presented to Emperor Xiaozong in 1183. He was summoned back to the central government the 4th time and rewarded the posts of Auxiliar-Academician (直學士) of Fuwen Pavilion (敷文閣), Lecturer-in-Waiting (侍講) of

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. It has also been translated as "College of Literature" and "Academy of the Forest of Pen ...

and Intendant of Youshen Temple (佑神觀). He continued to contribute to ''Sichao Guozhi'' until his death in 1184 in Lin'an. (The book was finished by Hong Mai in 1186.) His sons Li Hou and Li Zhi (李𡌴) were also notable historians, and another son Li Bi (李壁) became Assistant Executive of the

Secretariat-Chancellery Secretariat-Chancellery was a central government department in several dynasties in imperial China and Korea. It was created in the Tang dynasty by combining the Zhongshu Sheng, Secretariat and the Menxia Sheng, Chancellery. It was a particularly ...

during Emperor Ningzong's reign.

Bibliography

*'' Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian'', a history book on the Northern

*''Liuchao Tongjian Boyi'' (六朝通鑑博議), a history book on the

Six Dynasties Six Dynasties (; 220–589 or 222–589) is a collective term for six Han-ruled Chinese dynasties that existed from the early 3rd century AD to the late 6th century AD, between the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and the beginning of the Sui ...

period

References

* * {{Authority control Song dynasty historians 1115 births 1184 deaths Song dynasty government officials Politicians from Meishan Historians from Sichuan Political office-holders in Sichuan 12th-century Chinese historians Writers from Meishan