Daoist Figures: Xiao Fangdeng 萧方等

Xiao Fangdeng (530~551) was a painter of the Southern Liang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Shixiang, and he was the eldest son of Xiao Yi, Emperor Yuan of Liang.

He was intelligent from a young age and skilled in riding and shooting. During the Hou Jing Rebellion, he led 10,000 infantry and cavalry to rescue the capital. Later, he served as a military governor and went to suppress the Prince of Hedong. His army was defeated, and he drowned. He was posthumously awarded the titles of Shi Zhong, General of the Central Army, and Provincial Governor of Yangzhou, with the posthumous title Zhongzhuang Prince. After Emperor Yuan of Liang ascended the throne, his posthumous title was changed to Wulie Shizi (Heir Apparent Wulie). He was good at painting, especially portraits of figures: "Crown Prince Wulie was particularly skilled at portraying real figures. The guests at the table, with a few appropriate strokes, he could complete portraits of several people. Even when asked of children, they all knew the names of the portrayed" (see Family Instructions of the Yan Clan Volume 7 and Records of Famous Paintings of All Dynasties Volume 7).

He adhered to the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi and put forward a philosophy of life centered on nourishing one's nature and delighting one's body. Sighing at the brevity of life, he advocated nourishing the nature and delighting the body. He said: "Life in the world is like a white pony passing through a crack. A pot of wine is enough to nourish the nature; a basket of food is enough to delight the body." (Book of Liang·Biography of Xiao Fangdeng).

He felt that the life of the nobility was not easy, as they could be blamed at every turn. Only when he dreamed of turning into a fish or a bird could he have true happiness. He said: "Born in the grass, dying and being buried in a ditch, what is the difference between a tile coffin and a stone coffin? I once dreamed of being a fish, then turning into a bird. In that dream, what joy was comparable to it? When I woke up, what worries were like this? It was really because I was far inferior to fish and birds. Therefore, fish swim and birds fly, following their own will and nature; my advances and retreats are always in the hands of others. When I raise my hand, I am afraid of touching something; when I move my foot, I am afraid of falling. If I could eventually swim with fish and birds, then leaving the human world would be like taking off a pair of shoes" (ibid.).

He believed that his greatest wish was to turn himself into a fish or a bird, get rid of the constraints of real life, and "follow his own will and nature" to fly and travel far. He has biographies in Book of Liang Volume 44 and History of the Southern Dynasties Volume 54. He wrote Spring and Autumn Annals of the Thirty Kingdoms.