Ming Dynasty, Zou Diguang, “Biography of Mr. Tang of Linchuan”

The gentleman’s name was Xianzu; his courtesy name was Yisheng, and he went by the sobriquet Ruoshi. He was a native of Linchuan in Yuzhang. From birth he displayed extraordinary talent and an uncommon demeanor. Of stately bearing, with bright, handsome features, those who beheld him could not help but exclaim, “What a fine young man from the Tang clan!” At the age of five he could compose parallel couplets; test him once, and he replied at once; test him again, and he answered just as readily, effortlessly producing several pairs without the slightest hint of difficulty. By thirteen, when he took part in the provincial examination administered by the superintendent, he shattered the conventional format of the essay. “That which transcends form is called the Way; that which conforms to form is called the Instrument,” he declared, astonishing the examiner. He was then enrolled as a student in the local academy, and in every subsequent contest he invariably outstripped his peers. Even then, beyond the prescribed examinations, he was already composing classical prose; and apart from the Five Classics, he had perused the histories, the various schools of thought, as well as such esoteric texts as the Jizhong and Lianshan collections. In the year Gengwu, he passed the provincial exam, though still scarcely past his twentieth year. Observers could only marvel anew: “This lad is of such rare worth that he may gallop a thousand li—far more than merely treading the broad highways.” At that time, besides his mastery of classical prose, he excelled in yuefu poetry, in the long lyrical ballads, and in regulated verse of five and seven characters; and beyond the histories and the myriad schools, he had attained a thorough understanding of works on astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, hydraulic engineering, calligraphy, military strategy, neurology, and even the occult annals. Though but a humble scholar, his fame had spread far and wide, so that throughout the realm people regarded it a privilege to behold Tang Yisheng. In the Dingchou year, during the metropolitan examination, Lord Jiangling, through his personal agent, offered him the highest honors in return for his compliance—but he declined. In the Gengchen year, Jiangling’s son, Maoxiu, together with a fellow townsman, Wang Zhuan, came to seek his friendship and again dangled the prospect of lofty rank, yet he refused once more, declaring, “I dare not consort with a woman who has already lost her virtue.” Thus, his reputation continued to soar, and all across the land people felt themselves fortunate to catch a glimpse of Master Tang. By the Guiwei year, when he finally passed the imperial examination, Lord Jiangling had already passed away. Those who had once vied for his favor, seeking to curry his favor or bask in his patronage, were now rapidly fading into obscurity. The master himself sighed, “If I had risen by clinging to others, would I not have been undone by that very dependence?” Meanwhile, two high officials—one from Puzhou, the other from Suzhou—each had sons who also passed the jinshi examination; moreover, these sons were his former classmates. They sought to draw him into their inner circles, offering him appointments in the capital, yet he steadfastly refused, just as he had done when rebuffing Lord Jiangling.

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History of the Ming Dynasty

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Fuzhou Prefecture Gazetteer: Biography of Tang Xianzu

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Tang Xianzu’s Story | Founding the Xiangpu Academy in Suichang

Some say that the establishment of academies stands as Tang Xianzu’s greatest achievement in life and his most influential cultural undertaking, second only to his creation of the “Four Dreams of Linchuan.” This assessment is by no means an exaggeration. Having discussed the Guisheng Academy he founded in Xuwén, let us now turn to the Xiangpu Academy he established in Suichang.

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The Life of Tang Xianzu

On September 24, 1550 (the fourteenth day of the eighth month in the twenty-ninth year of the Jiajing reign), Tang Xianzu was born into a distinguished scholarly family. Originally residing in Wenchangli, Linchuan—today’s Tangjiashan on Taiping Street, east of Wenchang Bridge—he later moved to Shajing Lane and built the “Yumingtang,” which included structures such as Lanzhixiu Tower, Qingyuan Tower, Yu’ai Pond, and Jinni Pavilion. Consequently, he styled himself “Qingyuan Daoist,” and in his later years adopted the sobriquet “Jianweng.”

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Tang Xianzu

Tang Xianzu (1550–1616), courtesy name Yishen, styled Ruoshi, and also known by the pseudonym Qingyuan Daoren, was a native of Linchuan in Jiangxi (present-day Linchuan District, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province).

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