Wang Chongyun and His Studies of the Book of History

The Yuan Dynasty is an important period in the academic history of the Book of History in China. Some scholars who lived in the Yuan Dynasty have left us a few monographs which are meant to discuss the Book of History, of which the Book of History and Relative Model Essays is of a comparatively high value. In this book many key sentences of the Book of History are chosen to serve as the topics under which candidates may compose the eight-part essays in the imperial examination. The model essays in this book are possessed of the following five concrete features. Firstly, the topics cover a large sphere. Secondly, the topics are carefully made. Thirdly, the tone goes ahead with the times. Fourthly, the thinking clue is strictly logical. Fifthly, the main melody of epochs is stressed. The model essays in this book are possessed of a common feature, namely, many sentences are in fact a retelling or summary of the Book of History. Wang Chongyun has a particularly deep-going research of Explaining the Fate, which is an article in the Book of History. This shows that the Yuan intellectuals are interested in the heavenly mandate, and on the heavenly mandate they are highly dependent.