Study On Dong Zhongshu’s Theory On Legitimacy Of Emperorship

Dong Zhongshu’s theory on legitimacy of emperorship is characterized by practical relevance, reflecting the transition of social political power from fragmentation to centralization in the Qin and Han dynasties. The legitimacy of emperorship of this period has experienced many times construction and crisis, indicating the discordance between political subjectivity and social identity poses the problem of the fulfillment of the centralization of power and the maintenance of social identity. Although Emperor Qinshihuang unified China under the guidance of the Legalism, the utilitarian trend of the Legalism, which advocates that laws substitute for morals and utilitarianism be preferred, demystifies the Heaven and devalues the ethics. The overemphasis of the achievement and publicity of success and the negligence of the morals and beliefs of social identity leads to the crisis of the legitimacy of Qin dynasty and the downfall thereof. The Han dynasty following the Qin dynasty learns lessons from its predecessor’s fall and employs the learning of Emperor Huang and Lao Tzu as the guiding ideology of the country. The learning of Emperor Huang and Lao Tzu and the Legalism share the tradition of rationalism inherited and developed since the Spring and Autumn Period and the negligence of the role that the sanctity of the Heaven and the ethics play in the founding of the legitimacy of emperorship. So, the legitimacy of emperorship of the early years of the Western Han Dynasty has always been an identity crisis. Of course, it isn’t so much that the ruling class ignores its importance that they emphasize different aspects. All schools of thought are devoted to the process of the theoretical establishment of the legitimacy of emperorship in the early Han dynasty. Another Hundred Schools of Thought! It is during this period that the advantages of the Confucianism manifest themselves. The Confucianism, combined with Dong Zhongshu’s creative interpretation of Gongyang’s Annals of the Spring and Autumn Period, establishes a very systematic theory on the legitimacy of emperorship.Dong’s theory on the legitimacy of emperorship is mainly premised on Confucianism, drawing on the Legalism, Yin and Yang school, and Taoism. It fulfills the formulation of the theory of the legitimacy of emperorship in a unified China and render the Confucianism unique and paramount in state ideology. His theory is grounded on Heaven and Humanity. His theory on Heaven is the basics and ultimate grounds of his theory on legitimacy; his theory on Humanity is the focal point and practical basis. The relationship between Heaven and Humanity is inextricable and interconnected in Dong’s philosophy. Their relationship is what Dong concentrates on and where he begins his theory logically. It is through the presentation of the relationship between Heaven and Humanity that Dong interprets the legitimacy in Gongyang’s Annals of the Spring and Autumn Period creatively and establishes a systematic theory on legitimacy.Dong’s theory is not a fabrication but founded on the historical narrative of legitimacy of Gongyang’s Annals of the Spring and Autumn Period. According to modern definition of legitimacy, any theory on legitimacy must be based on the consensus on a certain values, and the formation of values is closely related to the narrative, which manifests itself in this Confucian classics. The book begins with the concept of unification when dealing with “the spring of the first month of the first year under the reign of King Yin” in the Annals of Spring and Autumn Period. Dong elaborates on the concept of unification and founds a set of values, establishing the concept of unification as the core of his theory on legitimacy. Many popular thoughts of the age, the Heaven Way of the learning of Emperor Hung and Lao Tzu, the absolutism of the Legalism, and the mysticism of Yin and Yang school in particular, are introduced, with Heaven being endowed with sanctity, to attach great importance to Heaven. His political thought, however, indicates that his theory on legitimacy inherits the Confucian concept of being both sage and king in pre-Qin period. It is in the context of being both sage and king that the unification of history and logics is fulfilled through Dong’ s narrative of legitimacy, which afford the Han dynasty legitimacy and Confucius Duke Su. It is a dramatic contribution to the establishment of Confucianism as official ideology.What is included in Dong’s theory on legitimacy are as follows: to begin with, why the existence of emperorship is necessary; secondly, what kind of emperorship is justified; thirdly, the criteria by which to judge the emperorship; fourthly, the qualifications of the continuance of the emperorship as Heaven dictates; lastly, the manifestation of the mandates of the Heaven of the alteration from the old dynasty to the new dynasty. Thus the question of legitimacy which has existed since the foundation of a unified China under Emperor Qinshihuang vindicated systematically and theoretically. Not only does Dong’s theory justify the legitimacy of the existence, government, and dominance of the emperorship, it also interprets the alteration of dynasties and the necessity and justification of the political reform of the new dynasty. It proves the legitimacy of a unified country and has a far-reaching influence. Hence, Dong is deems as both a philosopher who theorizes on the Empire of Han and a Confucianist who develops a superstructure for Chinese feudalism.