| Liu An | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 劉安 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘安 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Liu An | |
|---|---|
| King of Huainan | |
| Reign | 164 BC-122 BC |
| Predecessor | Liu He |
| Born | 179 BC |
| Died | 122 BC (aged 57) |
| Issue | Prince Liu Buhai Prince Liu Qian Princess Liu Ling |
| Father | Liu Chang, Prince Li of Huainan |
| Mother | Lady Yong |
| Occupation | Cartographer, monarch, philosopher |
Liú Ān (Chinese: 劉安, c. 179–122 BC) was a Chinese cartographer, monarch, and philosopher. A Han dynasty Chinese prince, ruling the Huainan Kingdom, and an advisor to his nephew, Emperor Wu of Han (武帝). He is best known for editing the (139 BC) Huainanzi compendium of Daoist, Confucianist, and Legalist teachings and is credited for inventing tofu. Early texts represent Liu An in three ways: the "author-editor of a respected philosophical symposium", the "bumbling rebel who took his life to avoid arrest", and the successful Daoist adept who transformed into a xian and "rose into the air to escape prosecution for trumped-up charges of treason and flew to eternal life."[1]