Liu Xiang

(77 BC - 6 BC)

Liu Xiang was born during the Western Han dynasty in what is now Jiangsu Province. In 26 bc he was appointed to lead a team of scholars collating ancient texts of philosophy and poetry from the imperial collection. His years of meticulous reconstructive work preserved important philosophical texts, including the work of the third-century-bc philosopher Xunzi. Liu is best known for his narrative collections relaying brief stories of China’s moral paragons, some of whom were likely his own inventions.