ABSTRACT
Liu Chi, a native of ch‘ing-t‘ien, ch‘u–chou, was born in 1311, on the eve of the collapse of the Mongol empire. The political upheavals of the early 1360’s turned the tide of Liu Chi’s political fortune. During this time various contenders arose amid the collapse of the Mongol empire, wrangling with each other for political ascendency. After Chu Yuan-chang’s rise to power, and proclamation as Ming-emperor in 1368, Liu Chi, rather surprisingly, was not taken into favor in the new administration. He was given insignificant titles such as director of the Astronomy Bureau and Vice Censor-in-chief. Two great imperial advisers of the Shang Dynasty, I Yin and Lu Shang, provided the classical model for Liu Chi. Liu Chi is compared to both Yeh-lu Ch‘u-ts‘ai and Liu Ping-chung in the relevance of their career and intellectual capacities. Liu Chi is paired with Chu-ko Liang in the doctrine of the secret societies in the Ch‘ing Dynasty.
