Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker
Yan Guang
Celebrated recluse of the early Eastern Han, a schoolfellow of Emperor Guangwu who refused all summons and lived out his life fishing on Mount Fuchun.
A thatched pavilion open on three sides stands among tall bamboo; one person sits with their back turned at the veranda rail beside a zither and a stack of bamboo slips, while a stone path runs to a calm pond reflecting clouds and distant hills.
Also known as Zi Ziling · Yan Ziling · Zhuang Guang (original surname)
Yan Guang, courtesy name Ziling, originally surnamed Zhuang, came from Yuyao in Kuaiji and studied with the young Liu Xiu. When Liu Xiu became Emperor Guangwu, Yan changed his name and hid, but the emperor had him traced and brought to the capital. The History of the Later Han tells how the two old friends slept in one bed, Yan's foot on the emperor's belly, and the astronomer reported a guest star trespassing on the imperial throne. Declining the post of remonstrating counsellor, he went home to farm and fish on Mount Fuchun, at the spot later called Yanling Rapids. He refused a further summons in 41 and died at home aged eighty. Fan Zhongyan's Record of Master Yan's Shrine honours him.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active under Emperor Guangwu (25–41 CE); died at eighty