China's early emperors must pay their respects to their predecessors in the correct form; the conduct of government and commercial practice depended on a generally accepted system of weights and measures; critics needed a secure means of expressing their views.

Michael Loewe, PhD, served as University Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Cambridge from 1963 to 1990. His publications range from Records of Han Administration (1967) to Dong Zhongshu, a 'Confucian' Heritage and the Chunqiu fanlu (2011).