Rangshu 攘書

Rangshu 攘書 "The book of resistance" is an anti-Manchu treatise written by Liu Shipei 劉師培 (1882-1920), and one of his most important writings. It is divided into 16 chapters.

Liu affirms the distinction between Chinese (Xia 夏) and "barbarians" (yi 夷) and stresses the importance of defending China against foreign countries and invaders from various aspects. It has an intense colour of nationalism and even racism. The author speaks of ethical thinking and defines ethics (lunli 倫理) as a product of human interaction. Still, in the West, ethics was based on the individual versus the public, the Chinese form of ethics was based on the relationship between the individual and other individuals, and from this basis a step further to the ethics of the family and to the ethics between the society and the state. In this way, the Chinese form of ethics moved the external towards the centre and progressed from close relationships to distant ones. Liu believes that this kind of ethics was an expression of equality and fairness between lord and subject, father and son, and husband and wife, at least in the golden age of the distant past. Unfairness had emerged after the foundation of the empire.

The text can be found in Liu Shipei's literary remains, Liu Shenshu Xiansheng yishu 劉申叔先生遺書.