Dong Zhongshu
Dong Zhongshu was a leading Confucian scholar in the Western Han dynasty, and was regarded as an authority on "Gongyang Zhuan". Dong advocated According to Qing Dynasty scholar Kang Youwei's summary, some of "Gongyang Zhuan"'s political agenda including the establishment of a well-ordered hierarchical regime (), a strong and centralized political authority (), and a merit-based civil government (), and a benevolent ruler whose legitimacy is based on the Mandate of Heaven.