Shusun Tong

Shusun Tong 叔孫通 (died ca 188 BCE) was an official and ritual specialist at Qin and W.Han courts. He is known for organization of the first court worship for the Emperor Gaozu of Han (202 BCE), as well as for the custody over the young prince Ying, the future Emperor Hui. His biography is presented in Chapter 99 of the Records of the Grand Historian and Chapter 19 of the Book of Han. According to Martin Kern, he is the best-documented among the Qin "erudites" (boshi 博士, ritual and canonical specialists).

Characterizing his contribution, Shi ji (Ch. 23, "Book on Ritual") states: "Shusun Tong roughly made some additions and subtractions, [but] for the most part in everything he imitated the old [practices] of Qin." Thus, Shusun Tong was the linchpin in the continuity of the court ritual from Qin to Han, while the former tradition in its own right stemmed from the Zhou ritual.

Shusun Tong was a native of Xue 薛 (zh:薛国), only about 30 km from the birthplace of Liu Bang, which made him well acquainted with the Chu musical tradition and thus allowed to accommodate the Qin ritual to the Han imperial taste.

His biography serves an argument against the traditional stereotype about the suppression of classical knowledge under the Qin: he did not just survive, but brought to the Han court his following of more than 100 disciples (從儒生弟子百餘人).