The Making of a Hero and a Villain: Southern Song Literati’s Changing Perceptions of the Memoirs of Li Gang and Wang Boyan

Abstract This article discusses how Southern Song literati’s changing perceptions of the three memoirs Li Gang 李綱 (1083–1140) and Wang Boyan 汪伯彥 (1069–1141) shaped their posthumous reputations. Both men served as chief councilor in early Song. Literati late twelfth thirteenth centuries became increasingly skeptical Boyan’s memoir, a work that had been considered authentic decades earlier. Partly driven by irredentist passion disappointment with autocratic councilors, literati identified hawkish supported printing his works. After Li’s formerly lesser-known personal memoir wider circulation century, daoxue 道學 historians deliberately adopted overt criticism to form new narrative praised vilified Wang. The reputations two went into extremes result—Wang was nefarious while an illustrious minister.