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Shan Tao
One of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove who, under Emperor Wu of Jin, ran official appointments for years and rose to minister over the masses
In a council hall, a long table holds an unrolled map scroll, a brass-cornered chest and a brush pot, with tall-backed chairs around it and a bronze lamp at the left; a figure stands with their back turned on the balcony at the right, with palace roofs beyond.
Also known as Zi Juyuan
- Roles
- Chief Ministers
Shan Tao, courtesy name Juyuan, came from Huai county in Henei. Orphaned young and poor, he loved Laozi and Zhuangzi, befriended Xi Kang and Lu An, and after meeting Ruan Ji joined their gatherings in the bamboo grove. He took his first post only at forty and later worked in the personnel office; when he moved on he recommended Xi Kang as his replacement, and Xi Kang refused in his Letter Breaking Off Relations with Shan Juyuan. Under the Jin he was inspector of Jizhou and palace attendant, then for years head of the personnel ministry; for each vacancy he named several candidates and made a formal nomination once the emperor's preference was known. His notes on the men he chose were collected as Shan Tao's Recommendations (Shangong qishi). He rose to minister over the masses and died in 283, aged seventy-nine. Facing execution, Xi Kang had told his son Xi Shao that while Shan Tao lived he would not be fatherless.
Life and times
Dates 205 CE–283 CE