A Brief Discussion on Emperor Xuan of Han Dynasty Imitating the “Policies of Emperor Wu”

故事在汉家日常行政中的独特地位并非一蹴而就，而是自昭宣时期开始，其政治影响力才逐渐上升，尤其是在宣帝“霸王道杂之”的统治模式下，被赋予类似祖先遗训的权威性。《汉书》记载的宣帝“修武帝故事”涉及礼乐祭祀、人才选拔、生活作风、作歌称颂四大方面，宣帝亲政后大修武帝故事，既承武帝之政的精神，又纠武帝之政的弊端，重建并强化君主权威，实现“中兴”。宣帝修武帝故事是其在皇权政治让位于权臣政治的客观形势下主观选择的结果。The unique status of precedents in the daily administration of the Han dynasty was not achieved overnight. It was from the Zhao-Xuan period onward that their political influence gradually rose, particularly under Emperor Xuan’s governance model of “interweaving hegemony and kingship,” where they were endowed with an authority akin to ancestral injunctions. “The Records of the Han Dynasty” documents Emperor Xuan’s restoration of Policies of Emperor Wu, which encompassed four major aspects: ritual and sacrificial practices, talent selection, lifestyle conduct, and composing hymns of praise. After assuming personal rule, Emperor Xuan extensively restored Policies of Emperor Wu, inheriting the spirit of Emperor Wu’s governance while rectifying its shortcomings, thereby reconstructing and reinforcing monarchical authority to achieve a “revival.” Emperor Xuan’s restoration of Policies of Emperor Wu was the result of his subjective choice under the objective circumstances where imperial authority had yielded to the politics of powerful ministers.