Debate over Post-Mortem Existence and Thrifty Burial in Wang Chong’s Lunheng

Abstract

Han China （202 BCE-220 CE） is a haunted world filled with spirits, demons, and ghosts of all kinds, whose influence is felt everywhere. In a time when variegated theories on the spirit world and mortuary traditions vie with each other for prominence, Wang Chong (27-ca. 100 CE), a most original philosopher, offers his systematic treatment of these contentious issues. Writing in a lively style with passion, reason, and patience, Wang Chong actively engages himself in these debates and applies organized and meticulous inquiry to tell fallacies of belief from what he believes to be the truth. This paper examines Wang Chong’s arguments on post-mortem existence and thrifty burial in detail and pays special attention to the strengths and weaknesses of his thesis.