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The Book of Lord Shang
Shang Yang turned the backward state of Qin into a war machine that would conquer China. As chancellor he abolished the old aristocracy, organised the people into groups of five who were punished for each other's crimes, rewarded farming and fighting above everything, and burned the Songs and Documents. When his patron died he was torn apart by chariots, but his laws remained. The Book of Lord Shang sets out his doctrine with chilling clarity: the people must be kept weak, poor in idle talk and rich only in grain and courage, and the state strong. This complete new English translation gives all the surviving chapters, the founding text of Chinese Legalism. Names are given in modern pinyin and key terms are rendered plainly rather than buried in jargon, so the arguments, stories and debates can be read straight through by anyone curious about Chinese thought.
