LIU Rui’s Chronicle

LIU Rui, a native of Neijiang, Sichuan Province in Ming Dynasty, served three subsequent reigns: the Hongzhi, Zhengde, and Jiajing. Therefore, LIU was a well-known and important scholar-official from Sichuan during the middle period of Ming Dynasty in both literary and political circles. Politically, he did not cling to the powerful and aristocratic factions. He repeatedly submitted remonstrances to the emperor during his tenure in the capital. Therefore, he earned a reputation for daring to speak the truth. As the Supervisor of Education in the east and south parts of Zhejiang Province, he attached great importance to education, and was fair in cultivating talents. As a result, a transformation was made in the custom in the two parts. He finally passed away in his official residence in Nanjing. In terms of literary views, he advocated a return to classical principles by ancient Chinese sages. He had close relationships with other literary figures of the classical school, such as HE Jingming, WANG Jiusi, and BIAN Gong. LIU was prolific in literary creations and enjoyed considerable fame so that he was compared to HAN Yu (a renowned scholar in Tang Dynasty) and CAO Zhi (a famous literati in Three Kingdom Period). There has been relatively little scholarly research on LIU’s life and his official career. This chronicle primarily relies on Collection of Five Clearings, LIU’s collection of poetry and prose, as the main reference. It is also supplemented by other historical materials, in an attempt to present a comprehensive portrait of his life.