Shusun Tong (; died ca 188 BCE) was a Chinese politician and writer who served the
Qin and
Western Han courts. He is known for organization of the first court worship for the
Emperor Gaozu of Han (202 BCE), as well as for the custody over the young crown prince Ying, the future
Emperor Hui. His biography is presented in Chapter 99 of ''
Shiji'' and Chapter 19 of the ''
Book of Han''. According to
Martin Kern
Martin Kern is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Puskás Akadémia and the Hungary national under-17 football team.
Club career Puskás Akadémia
After playing his early years at loca ...
, he is the best-documented among the Qin "erudites" (''boshi'' 博士, ritual and canonical specialists). After leaving the Qin court, he joined the services of
Xiang Liang,
Emperor Yi of Chu and
Xiang Yu, before surrendering to
Liu Bang when the Han armies took
Pengcheng in 205 BC. In 195 BC, before his death, Liu Bang thought of changing his crown prince from Liu Ying to
Liu Ruyi, son of
Consort Qi Consort Qi may refer to:
Consorts with the surname Qi
*Consort Qi (Han dynasty) (224–194 BC), concubine of Emperor Gaozu of Han
*Empress Qi ( 412), wife of Yao Xing (Emperor Wenhuan of Later Qin)
Consorts with the title Consort Qi
*Consort Qi (Y ...
; Shusun was one of the officials who advised against the change.
Characterizing his contribution, ''Shi ji'' (vol. 23, "Book on Rituals") states: "Shusun Tong roughly made some additions and subtractions,
utfor the most part in everything he imitated the old
racticesof Qin." Thus, Shusun Tong was the linchpin in the continuity of the court ritual from Qin to Han, while the former tradition in its own right stemmed from the Zhou ritual.
Shusun Tong was a native of Xue (
:zh:薛国), only about 30 km from the birthplace of Liu Bang, which made him well acquainted with the Chu musical tradition and thus allowed to accommodate the Qin ritual to the Han imperial taste.
[Kern, Martin. ''The Stele Inscriptions of Ch'in Shih-huang: Text and Ritual in Early Chinese Imperial Representation''. 2000:179.]
Legacy & Evaluation
His biography serves as an argument against the traditional stereotype about the
suppression of classical knowledge under the Qin: he did not just survive, but brought to the Han court his followers, more than 100 disciples (). While
Sima Qian praised Shusun for adapting according to circumstances and being able to keep the big picture in mind,
Sima Guang criticized Shusun's organization of Han court rituals as self-promotion, resulting in the loss of ancient rites.
See also
*
Yi Yin (a paradigmatic official known for serving two adjacent dynasties)
References
*''Records of the Grand Historian'',
volume 99
*''
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', volumes
11 and
12
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tong, Shusun
188 deaths
Chinese Confucianists
Han dynasty politicians from Shandong
Han dynasty writers
Qin dynasty people
Politicians from Zaozhuang
Writers from Zaozhuang
Year of birth unknown