The Biography of Mr. Pine Studio (1325-1397) (Text)

The Biography of Mr. Pine Studio (1325-1397)

The gentleman’s name was Daoqing, his courtesy name was Yizhong, and his surname was Lu. His family had resided in Yaxi in Dongyang County of Jinhua Prefecture for generations. He planted four or five pines in the courtyard, and strolled among them everyday to read ancient books. Therefore he gave himself the style name “Pine Studio”.^[1] He lost his father when he was nine years old. He stood out distinctively among the common children. He did not need to be taught to learn all that he was capable of.

After grew up, he associated with other literati. He studied The Book of Documents and the histories, and he understood clearly ancient and modern affairs. He knew [the distinction between] righteousness and profit, and between what was of fundamental and of secondary importance. Everything he did was satisfying to others. He was born to a rich family, yet he was frugal, having no more than one dish at a meal and no more than one color for his clothing. Whether serving his parents or entertaining guests, he was extremely reserved. In everyday affairs, he would not utter one word rashly nor would unless it was according to the rules. Whether he was pleased or angry it was not immediately apparent to others.  He seemed passive as if there was nothing he could do. But when righteousness called for action, he was determined and energetic, unafraid to do what was necessary, rather than being led by popular custom. He was known for his filial piety in attending to his mother; he attended to his uncle Mr. “Tranquil Studio” as if he was his own father; and he treated his younger brothers with fraternal love and sincerity.

When he once served as the Tax Captain^[2] in the township he never abused his power to collect a single coin extra. [When there was a shortfall] he would donate his own money to cover [government] expenses. If someone was too poor to pay his taxes, he usually paid it for him. One year when there was a bad harvest, a thief assembled a group of followers and robbed several hundred piculs of rice that [Mr. Pine Studio] had stored up. He put it aside and did not ask. Later someone got the name of the thief and reported it to him. He thanked the person and said: “Thank you for telling me the name of the thief. However, I have a surplus and he is impoverished. He did this because he had no other resort, and by doing so he simply exempted me from giving relief. He kept on lending his own savings to hungry people. He would burn the notes of those unable to repay him, after a year.

His brother-in-law, Li Minyi, was implicated in a crime and imprisoned. The prison wardens asked for one hundred taels of silver. Since Li was poor and had no resources, [Mr. Pine Studio] paid the prison warden out of his savings. After he was released Li had nowhere to turn, [Mr. Pine Studio] again sympathized and invited him and his family to stay with him; he supported them for several years, letting them go only after Li could get by on his own.

A certain Hu Jianshan was related to someone who had committed a crime and his property had been confiscated. The police demanded money and valuables, but there was none to be had and so he beat [Hu] badly and [Hu] suffered greatly. [Mr. Pine Studio] again gave his own money to [the envoy]. When later Hu Jianshan was pardoned and came back [Mr. Pine Studio] never asked for repayment.

In the village there was a youth of the Yen family, an orphan too poor to support himself. The prefectural government called him up for immediate service as a clerk. [Mr. Pine Studio] said sorrowfully: “If this youth goes and serves as a clerk, there is no possibility that he will survive!” So he hid him in his home and helped him escape. It cost huge amount of money, all from his own wealth. In the end Yen became a good person.

After his two younger brothers grew up and married, they asked him to divide [their father’s] estate. He thus divided it up into equal portions. A few years later, the youngest brother again wanted more of an estate from his share so he immediately ceded it to him without being stingy. As for the hundreds of kinds of taxes, he paid them all by himself, without involving his two younger brothers. He was endowed by Heaven with a nature that was pure and sincere, which when put into practice took the form of humaness and love; he was sincere in his affection toward relatives and was more eager to save others from misfortune than to [solve his own] hunger and thirst. Most of his deeds were like this.

Since he died in the thirtieth year of Hongwu reign period (1397) thirty years have passed. The township elders and those who knew the gentleman could all relate [his deeds]. He had five sons. The eldest is Yuanding, who fathered Hua and Rui. Today, Hua is the Vice Magistrate of Ninghua County. Hui passed the civil service examination in the same year as I.

Once Rui visited me and sobbingly told me of the virtuous deeds of his grandfather. Fearing that they would pass into oblivion he asked me for a biography. I observe that when Sima Qian composed “the Biography of Fan Kuai” ^[3], he wrote at the end of the biography: “I have associated with Fan Taguang, Kuai’s grandson so I have described [Kuai’s] deeds for him.” Without doubt Kuai’s great and remarkable deeds should be transmitted to later generations so that all would hear of them. However, Sima Qian described them for Taguang because he wanted [his descendants] to preserve them for generations to come. Only a few people in the world are capable of all the gentleman’s deeds. He came approached “the humane men and morally superior men” of antiquity. His deeds should be listed as instructions for the men of the township and the youth, so that they will know what to follow, as well as for men such as Rui who want them preserved for later generations. Thus I have recorded, in the hope that they will not fall into the shade.

On the first day of the third month of spring, in the first year of Hongxi reign period (1425), 

Written by
Bearing the title of Metropolitan Graduate, Gentleman-Confucian, Senior Compiler of Hanlin Academy, Zeng Heling of Taihe.

• [1] He lived from 1325 to 1397.
• [2] During the Ming dynasty a “Tax Captains” (liang zhang) were in charge of collecting tax grain; they were chosen from among the more affluent local families. The Tax Captains collected the tax grain from the heads of the ten-household group that formed a Village Tithing (li jia) and delivered it to the capital or elsewhere as directed.
• [3] “The Biography of Fan Kuai” is one of the biographies in the great historian Sima Qian’s (ca. 145-ca. 86 BC) Records of the Grand Historian.