Abstract
A small piece of working Song-dynasty historiography titled Zhongxing shengzheng cao 中興聖政草 was compiled by the famous poet Lu You 陸游 (1125–1210) in 1163, shortly after emperor Gaozong's 高宗 (1107–1187; r.1127–1162) abdication in favor of the new emperor Xiaozong 孝宗 (1127–1194; r.1162–1189) in 1162. It is a rare, intact example of a Song historical genre known as "Sagacious Policies" (shengzheng 聖政), or sometimes "Precious Instructions" (baoxun 寶訓). Lu You's work selects twenty historical events from the first two years of Gaozong's rule, giving a commentary for each. This article offers a topical analysis of these twenty selections and a close reading of Lu's comments to demonstrate that he selected topics in order to provide the new emperor precedents for reform. It also demonstrates Lu's criticism of Gaozong's early actions and his reign's political decay. We see Lu You's dreams both for the founder he wished Gaozong had been and for the ruler he hoped Xiaozong would be. So understood, the work reveals much about the shengzheng genre and mid-12th century political culture.
Keywords
Song-dynasty historiography, Sagacious Policies (shengzheng), Lu You (1115–1210 ), Emperor Gaozong, Southern Song history
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