3 pages essay

P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s )

M E M O R I A L O N A N N E X A T I O N O F F E U D A L S T A T E S A N D M E M O R I A L O N T H E B U R N I N G O F B O O K S 
 B y L i S i ( a s r e c o r d e d b y S i m a Q i a n ) 
 I n t r o d u c t i o n Li Si (d. 208 BCE) was, along with the Legalist philosopher Han Fei (d. 233 BCE), a student of Xunzi (c. 310-c. 219 BCE) and an official for the kingdom of Qin. When Qin conquered the remaining feudal states of the Zhou dynasty and built a new, centralized empire, Li Si was prime minister to the first emperor, Qin Shihuang. As prime minister, Li Si had the opportunity to bring Legalist political philosophy to bear on the task of uniting and ruling the patchwork of now-conquered feudal states of the former Zhou kingdom. The memorials below are two examples of the policies that Li Si successfully urged Qin Shihuang to follow. The memorials, in the form that we have them, are recorded by the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian (145?-86? BCE). They may, therefore, reflect Han bias in either the choice made or the accuracy of the record. However, we have no alternative sources from which to compare the record and investigate the nature and extent of whatever bias may be present. These documents must, then, stand as some of the best records we have as to the policies pursued by the Qin ruler in imposing unification on the fragmented Zhou polity. D o c u m e n t E x c e r p t s w i t h Q u e s t i o n s (Longer selection follows this section) From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999), 208-210. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Memorial
on
Annexation
of
Feudal
States
 and
Memorial
on
the
Burning
of
Books
 By
Li
Si
(as
recorded
by
Sima
Qian)



 From
the
Memorial
on
Annexation
of
Feudal
States
 …
Now,
with
the
might
of
Qin
and
the
virtues
of
Your
Highness,
at
one
stroke,
like
sweeping
 off
 the
 dust
 from
 a
 kitchen
 stove,
 the
 feudal
 lords
 can
 be
 annihilated,
 imperial
 rule
 can
 be
 established,
and
unification
of
the
world
can
be
brought
about.
This
is
the
one
moment
in
ten
 thousand
ages.
If
Your
 Highness
allows
it
to
 slip
away
and
 does
not
 press
the
advantage
 in
 haste,
 the
 feudal
 lords
 will
 revive
 their
 strength
 and
 organize
 themselves
 into
 an
 anti‑Qin
 alliance.
Then
no
one,
even
though
he
possess
the
virtues
of
the
Yellow
Emperor,
would
be
able
 to
annex
their
territories.
 
 From
the
Memorial
on
the
Burning
of
Books
 …
 But
 at
 present
 Your
 Majesty
 possesses
 a
 unified
 empire,
 has
 regulated
 the
 distinctions
 of
 black
and
white,
and
has
firmly
established
for
yourself
a
position
of
sole
supremacy.
And
yet


P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s ) o n M E M O R I A L O N A N N E X A T I O N O F F E U D A L S T A T E S A N D M E M O R I A L O N T H E B U R N I N G O F B O O K S , B Y L I S I ( A S R E C O R D E D B Y S I M A Q I A N )

A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 2 o f 4

these
independent
schools,
joining
with
each
other,
criticize
the
codes
of
laws
and
instructions.
 Hearing
of
the
promulgation
of
a
decree,
they
criticize
it,
each
from
the
standpoint
of
his
own
 school.
…
 
 Your
 servant
 suggests
 that
 all
 books
 in
 the
 imperial
 archives,
 save
 the
 memoirs
 of
 Qin,
 be
 burned.
 All
 persons
 in
 the
 empire,
 except
 members
 of
 the
 Academy
 of
 Learned
 Scholars,
 in
 possession
 of
 the
 Classic
 of
 Odes,
 the
 Classic
 of
 Documents,
 and
 discourses
 of
 the
 hundred
 philosophers
should
take
them
to
the
local
governors
and
have
them
indiscriminately
burned.
 Those
who
 dare
to
talk
to
each
other
about
the
Odes
and
Documents
should
be
executed
and
 their
bodies
exposed
in
the
marketplace.
Anyone
referring
to
the
past
to
criticize
the
present
 should,
together
with
all
members
of
his
family,
be
put
to
death.
 
 Q u e s t i o n s :

1. What common themes do you see in the two memorials? 2. How do the policies proposed by Li Si contrast with the way in which a

Confucian official might advise his ruler under similar circumstances? 3. In what respects do the policies recommended by Li Si owe their ideas to

Legalist philosophy? 4. What arguments might you pose against these policies? 5. What arguments might you pose in favor of these policies? 6. Why is Li Si concerned about the control of history? 7. Do Li Si’s concerns about history have any relevance for contemporary

American or European politics? L o n g e r S e l e c t i o n From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999), 208-210. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Memorial
on
Annexation
of
Feudal
States
 and
Memorial
on
the
Burning
of
Books
 By
Li
Si
(as
recorded
by
Sima
Qian)



 Memorial
on
Annexation
of
Feudal
States
 The
foregoing
view
of
the
First
Emperor
and
Li
Si
is
reflected
in
the
following
memorials
as
recorded
by
 Sima
Qian,
the
foremost
historian
of
early
China.
That
Sima
Qian’s
record
represents
a
Han
view
of
the
 Qin
past
is
significant.
 
 He
who
waits
on
others
misses
his
opportunities,
while
a
man
aiming
at
great
achievements
 takes
advantage
of
a
critical
juncture
and
relentlessly
follows
it
through.
Why
is
it
that
during
 all
the
years
that
Duke
Mu
of
Qin
(659‑621
BCE)
was
overlord
(ba)
among
the
feudal
princes,
he
 did
 not
 try
 to
 annex
 the
 Six
 States
 to
 the
 east?
 It
 was
 because
 the
 feudal
 lords
 were
 still


P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s ) o n M E M O R I A L O N A N N E X A T I O N O F F E U D A L S T A T E S A N D M E M O R I A L O N T H E B U R N I N G O F B O O K S , B Y L I S I ( A S R E C O R D E D B Y S I M A Q I A N )

A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 3 o f 4

numerous
 and
 the
 power
 of
 the
 imperial
 Zhou
 had
 not
 yet
 decayed.
 Hence,
 as
 the
 Five
 Overlords
succeeded
one
another,
each
in
turn
upheld
the
House
of
Zhou.
But
since
the
time
of
 Duke
Xiao
of
Qin
(361‑338
BCE)
the
House
of
Zhou
has
been
declining,
the
feudal
states
have
 been
annexing
one
another,
and
east
of
the
pass
there
remain
only
Six
States.
 
 Through
military
 victories,
the
state
of
Qin
has,
 in
the
time
of
the
last
six
kings,
brought
the
 feudal
lords
into
submission.
 And
 by
now
the
feudal
states
yield
obeisance
to
Qin
as
if
they
 were
its
commanderies
and
prefectures.
Now,
with
the
might
of
Qin
and
the
virtues
of
Your
 Highness,
at
one
stroke,
like
sweeping
off
the
dust
from
a
kitchen
stove,
the
feudal
lords
can
be
 annihilated,
imperial
rule
can
be
established,
and
unification
of
the
world
can
be
brought
about.
 This
is
the
one
moment
in
ten
thousand
ages.
If
Your
Highness
allows
it
to
slip
away
and
does
 not
 press
 the
 advantage
 in
 haste,
 the
 feudal
 lords
 will
 revive
 their
 strength
 and
 organize
 themselves
into
an
anti‑Qin
alliance.
Then
no
one,
even
though
he
possess
the
 virtues
of
the
 Yellow
Emperor,
would
be
able
to
annex
their
territories.

 
 Memorial
on
the
Burning
of
Books
 Among
the
most
 infamous
acts
of
the
First
Exalted
Emperor
of
the
Qin
were
the
“burning
of
books,”
 ordered
in
213
BCE,
and
the
“execution
of
scholars,”
ordered
in
212.
The
first
was
an
effort
to
achieve
 thought
control
through
destroying
all
literature
except
the
Classic
of
Changes,
the
royal
archives
of
the
 Qin
house,
and
books
on
technical
subjects,
such
as
medicine,
agriculture,
and
forestry.
The
measure
was
 aimed
particularly
at
 the
Classic
 of
Documents
 and
 the
Classic
 of
Odes.
The
 execution
of
 some
460
 scholars
 in
 the
 following
 year
was
 an
 attempt
 to
 eliminate
 opposition
 to
 the
 emperor
 by
 ruthlessly
 destroying
 all
 potentially
 “subversive”
 elements
 in
 his
 entourage.
 The
 two
 measures
 taken
 together
 suggest
something
of
the
habit
of
mind
of
the
First
Emperor,
as
he
was
influenced
by
advisers
like
Li
Si,
 but,
again,
it
is
significant
that
the
following
document
comes
down
to
us
from
the
ensuing
Han
period.

 
 In
 earlier
 times
 the
 empire
 disintegrated
 and
 fell
 into
 disorder,
 and
 no
 one
 was
 capable
 of
 unifying
 it.
 Thereupon
 the
 various
 feudal
 lords
 rose
 to
 power.
 In
 their
 discourses
 they
 all
 praised
the
past
in
order
to
disparage
the
present
and
embellished
empty
words
to
confuse
the
 truth.
 Everyone
 cherished
 his
 own
 favorite
 school
 of
 learning
 and
 criticized
 what
 had
 been
 instituted
 by
 the
 authorities.
 But
 at
 present
 Your
 Majesty
 possesses
 a
 unified
 empire,
 has
 regulated
the
distinctions
of
black
and
white,
and
has
firmly
established
for
yourself
a
position
 of
 sole
 supremacy.
 And
 yet
 these
 independent
 schools,
 joining
 with
 each
 other,
 criticize
 the
 codes
of
laws
and
instructions.
Hearing
of
the
promulgation
of
a
decree,
they
criticize
it,
each
 from
the
standpoint
of
his
own
school.
At
home
they
disapprove
of
it
in
their
hearts;
going
out
 they
criticize
it
in
the
thoroughfare.
They
seek
a
reputation
by
discrediting
their
sovereign;
they
 appear
 superior
 by
 expressing
 contrary
 views,
 and
 they
 lead
 the
 lowly
 multitude
 in
 the
 spreading
of
slander.
If
such
license
is
not
prohibited,
the
sovereign
power
will
decline
above
 and
partisan
factions
will
form
below.
It
would
be
well
to
prohibit
this.

 
 Your
 servant
 suggests
 that
 all
 books
 in
 the
 imperial
 archives,
 save
 the
 memoirs
 of
 Qin,
 be
 burned.
 All
 persons
 in
 the
 empire,
 except
 members
 of
 the
 Academy
 of
 Learned
 Scholars,
 in


P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s ) o n M E M O R I A L O N A N N E X A T I O N O F F E U D A L S T A T E S A N D M E M O R I A L O N T H E B U R N I N G O F B O O K S , B Y L I S I ( A S R E C O R D E D B Y S I M A Q I A N )

A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 4 o f 4

possession
 of
 the
 Classic
 of
 Odes,
 the
 Classic
 of
 Documents,
 and
 discourses
 of
 the
 hundred
 philosophers
should
take
them
to
the
local
governors
and
have
them
indiscriminately
burned.
 Those
who
 dare
to
talk
to
each
other
about
the
Odes
and
Documents
should
be
executed
and
 their
bodies
exposed
in
the
marketplace.
Anyone
referring
to
the
past
to
criticize
the
present
 should,
together
with
all
members
of
his
family,
be
put
to
death.
 Officials
who
fail
to
report
 cases
that
have
come
under
their
attention
are
equally
guilty.
After
thirty
days
from
the
time
of
 issuing
the
 decree,
those
 who
have
not
 destroyed
their
books
are
to
 be
 branded
and
sent
to
 build
 the
 Great
 Wall.
 Books
 not
 to
 be
 destroyed
 will
 be
 those
 on
 medicine
 and
 pharmacy,
 divination
by
the
turtle
and
milfoil,
and
agriculture
and
arboriculture.
People
wishing
to
pursue
 learning
should
take
the
officials
as
their
teachers.