Research On Shan Tao’s Ideology During The Transition From Wei Dynasty To Jin Dynasty

During the period of Wei and Jin Dynasty, the Confucianism was graduallyeliminated and a new philosophy eventually emerged. Many famous ideologistsadvocated it during that era, especially the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, namelyJi Kang, Ruan Ji, Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, Ruan Xian, Liu Ling and Wang Rong. Everymember had a unique personality and charm, however, Shan Tao was very differentfrom the rest of them. This thesis intends to analyze Shan Tao’s life and ideology.This thesis is divided into three sections.The first section analyzes Shan Tao’s life mainly from his family and relatives,growing environment and important life experiences. For example, some his mostimportant thoughts came to him when he was young, his political experience, etc.The second section discusses ideological characteristics of Shan Tao. It focuseson how different his ideology is from the other six Sages of the Bamboo Grove andexplains why his ideology combines both Confucianism and Taoism.The third section is focused on analyzing the differences between Shan Tao andJi Kang’s work. Ji Kang is considered as a spiritual leader among the Seven Sages ofthe Bamboo Grove, what he seeks is totally different than Shan Tao, he eventuallyended the friendship that he had with him. But when Ji Kang died, it was Shan Taothat recommended Ji Kang’s son to become an official. Shan Tao’s work is negligible,so in order to analyze his thoughts and ideas, one must analyze the difference ofideology between him and Ji Kang, and also analyze Shangongqishi (a book writtenby Shan Tao when he was recruiting and giving his opinion on new talents).In brief, Shan Tao’s ideology is really representative of that era. This research isfocused on analyzing Shan Tao’s ideas by looking at his family environment, socialenvironment, politic aspect and cultural aspect.