Li Guangdi

Li Guangdi (; 1642–1718), also known by his courtesy name Jinqing and sobriquet Hou'an , was a Chinese neo-Confucianist and court official.

Biography Li was a native of Hutouzhen An-khoe County, Fujian Province. In 1670, he was promoted to the rank of jinshi and moved to Beijing, leaving his brother Li Guangpo behind to look after his family. Li's career prospects improved after Fujian was captured by the enemy. He also partially helped defeat Cantonese rebels in Guangdong, persuading his friend Chen Menglei to work as a spy in Geng's camp. Later in life, he was responsible for planning Shi Lang's conquest of Taiwan. During the course of his life, Li held various court positions, including Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, Governor of Zhili and Grand Secretary, and positions on the Board of War, Board of Civil Service and the Board of Public Works.

Philosophy Li's philosophy was rooted in the Cheng-Zhu school. However, despite being a follower of Zhu Xi he did not entirely disregard the teachings of Zhu's rivals Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming. He also highlighted similarities between the teachings of Confucius and those of Buddha and Lao Tzu. Li felt that human nature (which he believed to be inherently good) was the ultimate subject of his study, and that nature was the guiding principle on which to base human morality. He had an interest in the sciences. A complete collection of Li's works (around thirty books) was published around a hundred years after his death, entitled the Complete Works of Rongcun (Rongcun quanji).