ABSTRACT
It has been a recurrent phenomenon in history that one class or one political organization resorted to the measures of burn ing or proscribing books against the other class or political organization. The main question is, was it the revolutionary class or the progressive politica l organization that burned and proscribed the reactionary literature, or was it rather the counterrevolutionary class and reactionary politica l organiza tion that destroyed the progressive culture ? Chfin Shih-huangTs 奪 妓 室 [ r * 221-210 B.C. ] burning and proscrib ing the Confu cian reactionary books is a typ ica l example. In the case of the Legalist Ch’in Shih-huang, who used revolutionary tactics to bolster the dictatorship of the newly risen landlord class，a ll the Confucianists and reactionaries in history maliciously un leashed their invective and assault, but a ll the revolutionaries and progressive people exuberantly lauded him and gave their approval. L i Chih of the Ming dynasty took the stand of re - ve ri呢 the Legalists and opposing the Confucianists, proclaim ing a ll the "Six Classics” including the Book of Songs [Shih詩 ] and the Book of Documents [S hu^ | not worthy of a single cash, and ChTin Shih-huangTs measures of burning books the deeds of a hero.[2] Thoroughly realizing that this was a very acute political struggle, L i Chih therefore entitled his two most important works Fen-shu [A Book to Burn] and Tsfang-shu [A Book to Conceal], indicating that his progressive works could not have been possibly tolerated by the reactionary Confucian school. This was in fact the case as the reactionary Ming
rulers [took to task] the ideas laid out in L i Chih!s TS, FS and other writings. [They invoked the] one particular charge [against L i Chih] for calling: nL i Ssu [a man of] talent and ability; Cho-wen chün 聋文笔 adept in matchmaking; Ssu-ma Kuang Ts Æ 也 [1019-1086] comment on Sang Hung-yang 榮系ム举[152-80 B.C.] trying to browbeat Emperor 等 [o f Han, r . 140-87 B.C.] ridiculous; ChTin Shih-huang the em peror of a ll ages; Confuciusf iudgments unreliablen (
% 象 為 兮 苳 , い 人 f î 希 ，ぃ人扎キえI 耶身) 不 足 緣 and indicted him on the
crime of revering the Legalists anä opposing the Confucianists. They pronounced sentence of arraignment of L i Chih to his native place to face tr ia l and asked the provinces to seek out a ll L i ChihTs published and unpublished works to be burned.1 In the end, L i Chih was arrested and incarcerated in prison, and he committed suicide under the duress of repression and humiliation. This was an act of merciless destruction of the progressive culture, and it amply attests to the incompatibility in the struggle between the Confucianists and the Legalists,
As a result of the maddening persecution of the Ming reac tionary ruling class, very few cultural artifacts about L i Chih have survived to this day. This letter preserved in the Shar^hai Museum is a very rare specimen of L i ChihTs handwriting. The letter was written on fine TTHsuann^ paper; it measures 26.5 cm. long and 15.3 cm. wide.
