Fan Li (fl. 5th-century BCE) from the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

, was a Chinese businessman, military strategist, and politician. Fan Li was an important political and military advisor to

Goujian Goujian (; r. 496–465 BC) was a king of the Yue state. He succeeded his father, Yunchang (允常), to the Yue throne. Goujian's reign coincided with arguably the last major conflict of the Spring and Autumn period: the struggle between Wu ...

, the king of Yue. He later was known as Tao Zhu Gong (陶朱公) a name he took after achieving a decisive victory for Yue over the state of Wu and retiring to live a secluded life with his wife

Xi Shi Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ), also known by the nickname Xizi, was one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived in a small Yue village (today part of Zhuji, a county-level city in Shaoxing, Zhejiang) during the end of ...

, one of the most famous beauties in Chinese history.

Biography

Along with

King Goujian of Yue Goujian (; r. 496–465 BC) was a king of the Yue state. He succeeded his father, Yunchang (允常), to the Yue throne. Goujian's reign coincided with arguably the last major conflict of the Spring and Autumn period: the struggle between Wu ...

, Fan Li was once a hostage of the state of Wu. After three years of captivity the two of them returned to Yue where Fan Li helped Goujian carry out a host of reforms to streamline the administration of the Yue state. In 473 BCE, Yue was finally able to destroy the state of Wu. After the victory, Fan resigned and renamed himself Tao Zhu Gong (). After his departure, he was said to have written a letter to

Wen Zhong Wen Zhong () (died 472 BC) was an advisor in the state of Yue in the Spring and Autumn period. He was a native of Ying in the State of Chu. After Yue was defeated by the state of Wu in 494 BC, Wen Zhong bribed Bo Pi, the advisor to the leade ...

from Qi, advising Wen Zhong to leave Goujian's service. Wen took notice of the advice in the letter and later was able to escape to Qi, living his remaining days there. After retiring from his ministerial post he lived with

, one of the renowned

Four Beauties The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four Chinese people, Chinese women who are renowned for their beauty and their impact on Chinese history through the influence they exercised over powerful men. The four are usually identified as Xi Sh ...

of ancient China, on a fishing boat, roaming the misty wilderness of Lake Tai in the style of the

Taoist immortal A ''xian'' ( zh, s=仙, t=僊, p=xiān, w=hsien) is any manner of immortal or mythical being within the Taoist pantheon or Chinese folklore. has often been translated into English as "immortal" or "wizard". Traditionally, ''xian'' refers t ...

s of old. In his later years, he became a legend for his success in business, and was posthumously worshipped as a god of money, or the

God of Wealth Caishen () is the mythological figure worshipped in the Chinese folk religion and Taoism. He has been identified with many historical figures, viewed as his embodied forms, among whom Zhao Gongming (, Wade–Giles: ''Chao Kung-ming''; also kn ...

( Cai Shen). Fan Li was an ancestor of

Fan Zhongyan Fan Zhongyan (5 September 989 – 19 June 1052), courtesy name Xiwen (), was an accomplished statesman, writer, scholar, and reformer of the northern Song dynasty. After serving multiple regional posts and at the imperial court for over two de ...

, a famous

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

and historical figure from the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

Writings

Fàn Li's writings are lost, and only known through quotes in a compilation of works by

Cai Mo Cai Mo (281–356), courtesy name Daoming, was a Chinese politician during the Jin dynasty (266–420). When northern China fell into chaos, Cai Mo migrated to the south, where he became a prominent minister during the early Eastern Jin period. ...

(281–356). His theories on business were summarized by Ma Zong (馬摠) in the 8th-9th century, during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. His original works include: * Several treatises on business management and risks * The ''Yangyu Jing'' (養魚經 ''Book of Fish Breeding''), an early text on

fish farm Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of aq ...

ing. * The ''Bingfa'' (兵法 ''Art of War''), on military strategy. Not to be confused with ''

The Art of War ''The Art of War'' is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the late Spring and Autumn period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is compos ...

'' by

Sunzi Sun Tzu (; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) may have been a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fan, Li 6th-century BC Chinese people 5th-century BC Chinese people Chinese merchants Chinese philanthropists People of Yue (state) Zhou dynasty government officials