Xun Zi(荀子) (313 B. C. ~238 B. C.), whose family name was Xun and given name Kuang, was addressed respectfully as Xun Zi. In the Western Han Dynasty, because of avoiding the taboo of Liu Xun of Emperor Xuan, he was once renamed Sun Qing or Sun Qingzi. Xun Zi was a famous educator, thinker and writer in ancient China. Xun Zi’s ancestral home was in the Guxun State (now Xicun in the north of Xinjiang County). Xicun was originally called Xuncheng, which meant the capital of the ancient Guxun State. A stone plaque of “Xun Zi’s Hometown” was found in Longxing Temple of Xinjiang. There are still some legends about Xun Zi.
Although Xun Zi praised highly about Confucianism, he held in esteem the theory of “Fa Hou Wang”(法后王) and advocated human beings were born evil. He wrote Xun Zi of 32 pieces, reflecting his simple materialistic thought. Among the pieces, “Encouraging Learning” was one of his representative works.
