Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (with boy attendant), in a Kano school Japanese painting of the Edo period

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (simplified Chinese: 竹林七贤; traditional Chinese: 竹林七賢; pinyin: Zhúlín Qī Xián) were a group of Chinese Taoist Qingtan scholars, writers, and musicians who came together in the 3rd century CE. Although the individual members all existed, their interconnection is not entirely certain. Key members of the seven were linked with the "Taoist" Cao Wei; they found their lives to be in danger when the avowedly "Confucian" Jin Dynasty came to power. They wrote Taoist poems, poems criticizing the court and the administration, and manuals on Taoist mysticism and fangshi. It would be a mistake to assume that all members had similar views, however, and while some members tried to negotiate their difficult political positions by self-consciously adopting the roles of ale-fuelled pranksters and eccentrics, others eventually capitulated and joined the Jin dynasty (most notably Wang Rong). Although it is unknown how much they personally engaged in Qingtan, they became the subjects of it themselves in the Shishuo Xinyu (Chinese: 世說新語 "A New Account of the Tales of the World").

As is traditionally depicted, the group wished to escape the intrigues, corruption and stifling atmosphere of court life during the politically fraught Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. They gathered in a bamboo grove near the house of Xi Kang (aka Ji Kang) in Shanyang (now in Henan province) where they enjoyed, and praised in their works, the simple, rustic life. This was contrasted with the politics of court. The Seven Sages stressed the enjoyment of ale, personal freedom, spontaneity and a celebration of nature.

A painting of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, inside the Long Corridor on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China.

Liu Ling, Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian, Xiang Xiu, Wang Rong and Shan Tao were the other six sages who made up the group, besides Xi Kang, who was especially close to Ruan Ji; their relationship was described as "stronger than metal and fragrant as orchids". The wife of Shan Tao was said to be impressed by Ruan Ji and Xi Kang's prowess when she spied on them during sex.

It would be Xi Kang's refusal to work for the new regime which would eventually lead to his execution. The group's rural life became a common theme for art, and they inspired other artists who wished to retreat during times of political upheavals. The myth spread rapidly, and within a few generations the pa ta were so inspired by the supposedly anarchist revelry of the Seven Sages that they sought to copy them fully, while naked.

Another person associated with the Seven Sages is Rong Qiqi (榮啟期), who in fact lived quite earlier. This association is depicted in some apocryphal art from the fourth century CE, in a tomb near Nanjing.

The Seven Sages, or the symbol that they became, have been remarked to be influential in Chinese poetry, music, art, and overall culture.

References

• Homosexuality and Civilization by Louis Crompton
• Chinese Civilization and Bureaucracy by Etienne Balazs
• A New Chinese Tomb Discovery: The Earliest Representation of a Famous Literary Theme in Artibus Asiae, 1961 - Alexander Coburn Soper
• Neo-Taoism and the 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove' in Chinese Painting in Artibus Asiae, 1974 - Ellen Johnston Laing

External links

• 15px|link=|alt= Wikimedia Commons alberga una categoría multimedia sobre [[Commons:Category:|Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove]].