Liu Xiang (approximately 79 BC - 8 BC), an important imperial minister of the Western Han Dynasty and the founder of Chinese philology. His real name was Gengsheng, and his courtesy name was Zizheng. He was a native of Peixian County (now part of Jiangsu Province). He became an official at the age of twelve and served in the Xuan, Yuan and Cheng dynasties. Although he was imprisoned twice for his direct advice, he always maintained his character as a scholar. During the Heping period, he led the collection of books in the palace secret pavilion of the school, creating a precedent for Chinese bibliography. The "Bielu" he wrote is known as the "originator of school bibliography". He systematically compiled classics such as "Warring States Policy", "Chu Ci" and "Shan Hai Jing", and wrote more than 30 kinds of works such as "Hong Fan's Five Elements", "Lienv's Biography" and "Shuo Yuan", building the academic system of the Han Dynasty. Throughout his life, he wandered between political ideals and academic missions, and made an indelible contribution to the inheritance of Chinese civilization as a guardian of documents.
