Biography and its social world: the ‘Stele of Lord Lu’

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sinologists have traditionally read Chinese biographies as repositories of facts about their subjects, but their pedagogical function means biographies can tell us not just about their subjects, but also their intended audience(s) and the author’s ideological program. This article takes as its starting point a biography of the famous Daoist master Lu Xiujing 陸修靜 (406–77) written by the Tang poet Wu Yun 吳筠 (d. 778) and engraved on a stele that was erected in Lu’s honor in 761. Building on the work of Jan M. De Meyer, I show what Wu’s biography can tell us about its author and audience. Wu crafted a vitae-cum-morality tale with a twofold audience: Daoist priests and imperial officials. For the priests, he fashioned a model life that offered a superior alternative to the conventional literati career. Imperial officials learned that Daoist priests possessed the keys to imperial longevity and good governance.