The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu)

Description

A wonderfully enjoyable storehouse of ancient Chinese history and legends, which also has an important role in understanding 21st-century China The Most Venerable Book (also known as The Book of History) is one of the Five Classics. For many centuries it was a central work for anyone wishing to work for the Imperial administration, with its prestige stemming from the belief that it had been assembled by Confucius himself. The First Emperor tried to have all copies destroyed because of its subversive implication that 'the Mandate of Heaven' could be withdrawn from rulers who failed their people. For similar reasons it was also banned by Mao. Extraordinarily, it has been revived by the Chinese government of the 2010s.

The various authors of The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu) are anonymous. There are many arguments about the age and authenticity of the different sections. Parts of the text were never recovered after The First Emperor's attempts to eradicate it, other parts are clearly later. Some sections have been retrieved from tombs dating to the 3rd century BC and the last additions were made in the 4th century AD. Martin Palmer (who translated the book with Victoria Finlay and Jay Ramsay) is Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture (ICOREC) and Secretary General of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC). His previous translations include The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin Classics), The Dao de Jing and The I Ching.

The text is alive with the deeds and misdeeds of Chinese rulers, some told in graphic and gory detail . . . Palmer's introduction is witty and eschews any sign of academic-speak . . . There has been a revival in interest in China in Confucian ethics in recent years as people search for moral points of reference . . . The Shang Shu is part of this, and Martin Palmer has presented the English reading audience with an excellent route to an understanding of these ideas * China Daily - European Weekly *