The Philosopher

Liu An

The face

The background

Nationality:
Chinese
Branchs:
Daoism, Confucianism, Legalism
Period:
Han dynasty

The synopsis

Liú Ān (c. 179–122 BC) was a Chinese monarch, philosopher and cartographer. A Han dynasty prince ruling the Huainan Kingdom, Liu An advised his nephew, Emperor Wu of Han. He is best known for editing the (139 BC) *Huainanzi* compendium of Daoist, Confucian, and Legalist teachings and is credited for inventing tofu. Early texts represent Liu An in three ways: the "author-editor of a respected philosophical symposium", the "bumbling rebel who took his life to avoid arrest", and the successful Daoist adept who transformed into a *xian* and "rose into the air to escape prosecution for trumped-up charges of treason and flew to eternal life."

The works