| Abstract |
Sima Guang was a famed official in the Song Dynasty. Despite much research on his political influence and his historical magnum opus Zizhi tongjian, a great many gaps in his early political career remain to be filled. Also, scholars are deeply divided over the year when he presented Guwen xiaojing zhijie to Emperor Renzong. Fortunately, clues can be found in the preface to Guwen xiaojing zhijie and Sima Guang’s memorial to the Emperor on the submission of this interpretive work on the Classic of Filial Piety. This article first gives clarifications on issues regarding Sima Guang’s early political career, for instance, the year he was appointed as Proofreader in the Academy, questions about his services as Examining Editor in Historiography Institute and Subeditor in Academy of Scholarly Worthies, and the year he took office as Controller-general of Yunzhou. What follows is a review of the literature upon the year of first submission of Guwen xiaojing zhijie. Based on these publications and an analysis of the foregoing preface and memorial, this article will reach the conclusion that Guwen xiaojing zhijie was first submitted to the Emperor in 1053. |
