DONG ZHONGSHU (also Tung Chung-shu, c. 195–c. 115 BCE) is one of the most important thinkers of Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) Confucianism. His concept of the relationship between Heaven and humans has been influential for the development of Confucianism. Yet Dong's contribution to the history of religion is a matter of dispute due to diverging evaluations of the sources connected to him. Today, four sorts of sources with possible information about Dong Zhongshu exist.

Sources

The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) written by Sima Qian around 100 BCE contains a biography of Dong Zhongshu, the earliest and most reliable source about his life and thought. According to Shiji, Dong in his early years was interested in the principles operating within the forces of yin and yang. On the basis of these principles he created a ritual that should seek and stop the rain, and he attempted to...