Daoist Figures: Zu Hongxun 祖鸿勋

Zu Hongxun
(ca. 500–553) A scholar and Daoist of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He was from Fanyang in Zhuojun (present-day Beijing).

At around 20 years old, he served as a secretary in the provincial government, later holding positions such as Fengchaoqing (court attendant), Fanghe Biejiang (deputy general guarding the Yellow River), defender of Huatai, and was transferred to Tingweizheng (judge in the Supreme Court). He resigned from office and returned to his hometown, devoting himself to the mountains and rivers. Later, he was appointed as the Prefect of Gaoyang. He was known for his integrity in office and was praised by his contemporaries. He believed in the ideas of Laozi and Zhuangzi, "aspiring to Zhuangzi’s freedom and admiring Shangzi’s simplicity and openness" (Book of Northern Qi·Biography of Zu Hongxun). He practiced "Zhuangzi’s freedom" in his daily life: often sitting alone on a high rock, playing the qin facing the water, chanting alone in the mountain valleys, raising a wine cup to gaze at the moon, stirring thoughts at the sound of wind, and stirring emotions at the cry of cranes.

He advocated a philosophy of life that valued "doing nothing." He said: "Wearing a hat of rush, clothing of coarse linen, growing grains to support my kind parents, walking slowly as if in a carriage—valuing inaction, this is contentment enough. Why must one rush about in the dust of the world!" (ibid.).

He adhered to Zhuangzi’s philosophy of "uselessness" (see Zhuangzi·Mountain Trees), believing that the finest jade is the first to be taken, and the most fragrant osmanthus branches are the first to be plucked. Only through non-action, inaction, uselessness, and retreat can one live out their natural years. He stated: "Jade accumulated on Kunlun Peak—the most lustrous is destroyed first; osmanthus clusters on Jade Mountain—the most fragrant and luxuriant are plucked first. Hence, there are officials who resigned their coronets in the Eastern Capital, and recluses who abandoned fame in the Southern Lands. It is not that they hated fine silks and preferred coarse cloth, but that they wished to preserve their bodies and live out a hundred years" (ibid.).

From advocating "valuing inaction," he further pursued immortality, engaging in "seeking alchemical methods and discussing metaphysical texts." He said: "Elephants die because of their tusks; ointments are boiled because they give light. Having read Laozi’s discourse on the eternal spirit, one should embody the ease of Marquis Liu (Zhang Liang) in knowing when to stop. If one can turn to purity and simplicity, removing official seals and hairpins, then in this mountain villa, I can achieve contentment: linking arms into the forest, hanging a scarf on a branch, carrying wine to the heights, spreading a mat on the flat mountain, sharing plain aspirations, recalling old times, seeking alchemical methods, and discussing metaphysical texts. This is joy enough—why seek wealth and honor?" (ibid.).

He believed that ivory is useful to humans, so elephants are killed for it; ointment can illuminate, so it is boiled or burned. Utility and action lead to self-destruction. He regarded retreating to the mountains and devoting himself to Taoist alchemical techniques and metaphysical texts as the ideal destination. He has biographies in Book of Northern Qi, Volume 45, and History of the Northern Dynasties, Volume 83.