The Citation of the Laozi 老子 in Qunshu zhiyao 群書治要: Daoism and Political Legitimacy in Early Tang China

Qunshu zhiyao 群書治要, a crucial Tang compilation, played a central role in shaping state ideology and articulating shared beliefs. This article explores the inclusion of the Laozi and Heshang Gong’s commentary, highlighting how these texts were deliberately edited to meet the early Tang regime’s political and ideological needs. Through strategic commentary selection, omission and retention of passages, the compilers reshaped these texts into a narrative that reinforced state ideology and affirmed Tang political legitimacy. This process could be described as a “fusion of horizons”, where the original Laozi tradition merges with the compilers’ contemporary political concerns. By instrumentalizing the metaphysical Dao, reinterpreting self-governance, and reconciling Daoism with Confucianism, this narrative transformation reflects a significant political hermeneutic shift. The study demonstrates how early Tang intellectuals adapted classical texts to serve political agendas, offering insights into the interaction between cultural tradition and political legitimacy in early Tang China.