Who is Fan Hong 樊宏?

Fan Hong (d. 51 BCE) was an early Eastern Han Dynasty Daoist scholar. His courtesy name was Miqing. A native of Huyang, Nanyang (modern-day southwest Tanghe County, Henan), he was the maternal uncle of Emperor Guangwu of Han. In 25 CE, he was appointed Grand Master of Imperial Entertainments (Guanglü Dafu) and held the special rank of Tejin, just below the Three Excellencies. In 29 CE, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Changluo, and in 39 CE, his title was changed to Marquis of Shouzhang. Posthumously honored as Marquis Gong, he was known for his "humility, caution, and reluctance to seek undeserved advancement" (Book of the Later Han, Biography of Fan Hong).

Fan Hong left instructions for a simple burial, requesting that "nothing extravagant be used" (ibid.). Philosophically, he adhered to Laozi’s teachings on avoiding excess, embracing humility, and retreating from prominence. He believed that wealth and power, if overextended, would inevitably lead to downfall:

"No one who amasses excessive wealth and honor can sustain it. It is not that I dislike glory and influence; but the Dao of Heaven despises fullness and favors humility, as the cautionary tales of past imperial relatives demonstrate. To preserve oneself in wholeness—is this not true joy?" (ibid.)

Drawing lessons from the downfall of previous aristocratic families due to their "overflowing wealth and honor," he argued that only by following Laozi’s principles of temperance and retreat could one achieve "self-preservation and completeness." His biography appears in Book of the Later Han, Volume 32.