The Linchuan Family Tradition | Tales of Tang Xianzu’s Family Values

Portrait of Tang Xianzu

　　Inheriting the tradition of upright and incorruptible conduct.

　　The Tang family, a renowned scholarly clan of Linchuan, was distinguished by its upright and virtuous household traditions. Tang Xianzu’s grandfather, Tang Maozhao, “harbored lofty aspirations… and enjoyed great prestige among the Confucian scholars,” while his father, Tang Shangxian, likewise “wrote in a style both refined and archaic, and conducted himself with integrity and propriety.” Beginning with his great-grandfather, the family had established a library, “which housed more than forty thousand volumes, gathering texts from ancestors and forefathers.” Moreover, the elder members of the clan attached great importance to the education of their descendants, sparing no expense in “building a private academy to carry forward the family’s scholarly legacy.” Under the nurturing influence of this distinguished home, Tang Xianzu developed from an early age an abiding reverence for the teachings of the sages.

　　At the age of thirteen, Tang Xianzu embarked on his journey as a student, “carrying a satchel and dragging his sandals.” The first teacher his family chose for him was Xu Liangfu, a talented scholar from Dongxiang renowned for his integrity and uprightness. Xu Liangfu was a man of considerable moral character and had once served as… Censor of the Ministry of Personnel Later, for daring to remonstrate with the powerful and thereby incurring their wrath, he was thrown into the Zhaoyu prison, where he endured unspeakable torments yet refused to bow or beg for mercy, ultimately being stripped of his office and reduced to commoner status. Xu Liangfu exerted a profound influence on Tang Xianzu; throughout his official career, Tang likewise refused to seek advancement through flattery of the elite, boldly risking his life to offer candid counsel aimed at rectifying the ills of the times. After Xu Liangfu’s passing, Tang Xianzu composed “The Biography of Master Xu Zibi,” expressing his deep reverence and affection; in his later years, he also penned “Fu Fu Yin” in remembrance of his mentor, lamenting that, as he approached the end of his days, he had nonetheless fallen short of his teacher’s expectations.

　　The second mentor who exerted a profound influence on Tang Xianzu was the renowned scholar of the School of Mind, Luo Rufang. In the forty-fourth year of the Jiajing reign, at the age of seventeen, Tang Xianzu went to study at the Conggu Shanfang, a school founded by Luo Rufang. In the fifth year of the Wanli era, Luo Rufang was appointed Right Vice-Minister; he was a consummate scholar and, above all, a man of genuine sincerity. At one point, he was invited to the Guanghui Temple outside the capital to deliver lectures on Confucian learning. Taking advantage of this occasion, certain powerful officials who disapproved of the School of Mind instructed the Censor Zhou Liangyin to impeach Luo Rufang, accusing him of “failing to carry out his duties after completing his mission and secretly remaining in the capital,” and of “undermining the imperial court and sowing confusion between name and reality.” Pressured by such persecution, Luo Rufang resigned from office and returned to his hometown, devoting himself once again to teaching. Tang Xianzu, endowed with keen intelligence and an upright character, won Luo Rufang’s deep affection. Later, as he navigated the vicissitudes of official life, Tang Xianzu composed numerous poems—such as “Passing Through Guangdong and Bidding Farewell to My Friends at Conggu” and “Night Talks on Mount Luofu, Recalling Master Mingde”—which bear witness to his steadfast remembrance of his teacher’s teachings and serve as encouragement to himself amid adversity.

　　Educating people in the way of the gentleman.

　　Around the nineteenth year of the Wanli era, the Ming court was beset by internal troubles and external threats, and the state faced a grave crisis. The Emperor Shenzong issued an edict sternly rebuking those responsible. Tang Xianzu, ever forthright and unbending in his adherence to upright principles, could not but feel deep anxiety and indignation for the welfare of the realm. In the fourth month of the xinmao year, he… “On the Memorial Regarding the Councillors and the Imperial Censors” It was submitted to the emperor. Every sentence in the memorial was true, and its analysis hit the nail on the head, sending shockwaves through both the court and the public. To stabilize the imperial administration, the emperor issued an edict demoting Tang Xianzu to Xuwén. After his demotion, Tang Xianzu followed the example of his mentor, Luo Rufang: when in office, he worried about the welfare of the realm; when out of office, he devoted himself to education. In Xuwén, working hand in hand with the county magistrate Xiong Min, he vigorously established a renowned academy. Liu Yingqiu, in his “Xuwén County…” Guisheng Academy According to the records in the “Ji,” the local literati “knew that within the realm of the sea there abounded men of virtue and talent, whose fame had long endured; upon arriving, they would tuck up their robes and don their official caps to pay their respects, their footsteps constantly crossing one another.” Moreover, “they came to realize that Yi Ren’s standing among the learned was esteemed not merely for his talents; accordingly, the students of the local academies vied to bow before him and seek instruction. Yi Ren patiently expounded principles, engaged in earnest discourse, and opened hearts with gentle persuasion, never tiring of it day after day. His disciples, holding their texts and posing questions without respite, filled the halls so densely that even the official residence became too cramped to accommodate them.” Thus, Tang Xianzu conferred with the county magistrate, Xiong Min, and resolved “to select a site that was spacious and well‑ventilated, and to erect a lecture hall”—the famed Guisheng Academy. It was here that Tang Xianzu taught his disciples the Way of the Gentleman. In his “Preface to the Guisheng Academy,” he wrote: “Once, while reading, I came upon Yi Yin’s words: ‘Heaven has created these people, appointing some to know first and others to know later’… Only then did I understand that ‘when the gentleman studies the Way, he loves all people.’ Therefore, whenever I passed through a prefecture or county, I would invariably share this teaching with the local officials and any students who seemed receptive.”

　　The Way of the Junzi was both Tang Xianzu’s personal pursuit and the central principle guiding his education of his disciples. In the twenty-first year of the Wanli era, before the Guisheng Academy had yet been completed, Tang Xianzu transferred to Suichang County in Zhejiang to serve as its magistrate. Though the region was mountainous with little arable land and a sparse population, he nonetheless persevered in overcoming difficulties to establish the academy. Coincidentally, a nearby mountain bore the name “Junzi”; accordingly, upon the academy’s completion, he joyfully composed the poem “Ten Rhymes on the New Completion of Xiangpu, Presented to the Students”: “Ritual and music flourish in Pingchang; the students assemble in the archery hall. The mountain’s form resembles the junzi, and the earth’s veins run alongside the sage,” thereby imparting his teachings to the students. Later, he even renamed the county government office itself “…” Gentleman’s Hall ”, to make his aspirations clear, he composed a poem that reads: “Before the gentleman’s hall, the smoke‑shrouded trees stand in neat rows; mountain cooking fires and water mills all lie west of the bridge. In the courtyard, disputes abound among the banana groves and deer‑like figures; in the market, there is little clamor and few cockfights.” Moreover, Tang Xianzu exhorted his younger generations: “The Tao family should plant only willows; jade trees and orchids are hardly needed,” urging them to aspire to be noble, fragrant orchids and jade‑like pines, and to uphold the spirit of the gentleman.

　　Educate one’s children in the pursuits of farming and scholarly study.

　　The Tang family was a distinguished and prominent clan in the Linchuan region, but by no means a household of immense wealth. In particular, in the sixth year of the Longqing era, a fire struck their home: “Their treasured books were suddenly consumed by flames, and the accumulated volumes lay scattered and disordered. For ten years they had no fixed abode, enduring hardship under the strict discipline of father and mother.” Thereafter, life at home became exceedingly arduous, making the family’s tradition of alternating between farming and scholarly pursuits all the more vital.

　　Though Tang Xianzu spent fifteen years in official service, he was known for his incorruptible integrity and his generous support of education. While serving in Xuwen and Suichang, he even contributed his meager salary to the construction of the county schools, which left him perpetually in modest means. After retiring to the countryside, one day several of his former students from Suichang paid him a visit on their travels; they were all astonished to find their revered teacher personally tending to the fields. In his poem “Two Poems Composed upon Receiving Several Disciples Who Had Gone to Study in Wuyue, with a Few Visitors at Home,” Tang Xianzu wrote: “I send my sons westward to Wu Yue to pursue their studies; in those days, my pupils blossomed like the first flush of spring. Today I meet the old man of Chaisang—under the setting sun, in the chilly garden, he still wields his hoe. The spring breeze has barely begun to play upon the zither; I send you off to Hangzhou with a single whip as a parting gift. Now that your teacher has long lingered beneath the trees, might he yet earn some money to support your studies?”

　　Tang Xianzu not only tilled the fields himself but also frequently used this practice to teach his children and disciples never to forget their proper duties. In the twenty-first year of the Wanli era, shortly after taking up his post in Suichang, a student surnamed Su came to seek his guidance; Tang composed a poem to admonish him: “Who will hold the reins of the new year’s spring? I grant you the task of breaking the fertile hills of Rui‑niu… If you do not aspire to the lofty spirit of Mount Emei, how could your reading ever be worthy of my listening in drunken repose?” Both farming and learning are the foundations of one’s livelihood; neither should be neglected. In the twenty-eighth year of the Wanli era, Tang Xianzu’s second son, Da Qi, set out for Nanjing in search of fame and success. Tang specially penned “Two Poems on My Son Qi” to counsel this young man just entering the world: “Leisurely wandering is no true calling for a son of our house; it is far better to return and learn to till the fields.”

　　Tang Xianzu was keenly aware that, for families devoted to both farming and learning, the harmonious combination of a husband’s diligence and a wife’s frugality constituted the very foundation of enduring prosperity and lasting success. In his “Zhi Zhi Yong Shi Zi,” he wrote: “Only with aspiration can one attain wisdom; only with wisdom can one harbor true aspiration. The idle man is but a hollow shell, while the dim‑witted lack even the spark of thought.” He maintained that only industriousness can give rise to lofty ambitions, and that only when both aspiration and wisdom are present can one achieve meaningful accomplishments. Tang Xianzu regarded diligence as a precious virtue and frugality as a noble spirit; in his poem “Nei Ren Ru Zhai,” he praised his wife thus: “In her plain retreat, clad in simple robes, she shines like the moon—admiring the fragrant garlands of jasmine.” He believed that even those who live modestly may yet radiate inner brilliance. On the eve of his death, he composed the “Seven Farewell Verses,” urging his descendants to keep all funeral rites as simple as possible, forbidding any extravagance or waste.

　　In the thirty-sixth year of the Wanli reign, more than ten years had passed since Tang Xianzu retired to seclusion in Suichang; yet the local officials and common people there still remembered the kindness of their former magistrate‑teacher. They commissioned the painter Xu Lüyun to come and paint his portrait, intending to erect a shrine in his honor to commemorate his benevolence. Upon hearing this news, Tang Xianzu felt even greater remorse, exclaiming, “The people of Pingchang venerate me—by what means can I, in turn, honor them?” Integrity and self‑reflection were the noble qualities and moral virtues that Tang Xianzu steadfastly upheld, and they are precisely why he has long been cherished in the hearts of the people.

How can one know spring’s beauty is so exquisite without stepping into the garden?