Zhu Quan

Life

In 1391, the twenty-fourth year of the Hongwu reign, he was enfeoffed as Prince of Ning, with Danning as his princely domain; in 1394, the twenty-seventh year, he took up residence there. His transfer, or re-enfeoffment, to Nanchang is dated variously to 1403, the first year of Yongle, and 1404, the second year.

Late in life he deliberately withdrew from public view. His sobriquets included Quxian (臞仙; also written 臒仙 and 臞僊), Hanxuzi (涵虛子), and Danqiu Xiansheng (丹丘先生); he was also called Shenyin (神隱). He died in 1448, in the thirteenth year of Zhengtong, and received the posthumous title Xian, becoming known as Prince Xian of Ning.

Learning and arts

He was a keen student of the classics and antiquity, conversant with Buddhist and Daoist learning and especially well versed in history. His interests and writing also extended to divination, religious cultivation, the qin, chess, medicine, poetry, painting, opera, and musical notation and rhyme.

Descriptions portray him as fair-skinned and bearded, proud and fond of unusual things. From childhood he called himself Damingqishi (大明奇士), also written Damingqishi with 土 (大明奇土); he wrote on divination, religious cultivation, the qin, and chess, and made an incense burner and an inkstone from ancient roof tiles, both described as highly refined. A poetic commentary portrays him as relying on his merits in the Jingnan campaign, arrogant and often resentful, citing his poem “Poem on the Solar Eclipse” as evidence; another anecdote says that he had people bring clouds from the summit of Mount Lu each month, built a small retreat called Cloud Studio, and was paired with Prince Xian of Zhou in a princely anecdote about snow.

Works

His named writings include 《漢唐祕史》 in two juan, 《通鑑博論》 in two juan, and 《神奇秘譜》 in three juan; he also wrote the opera 《私奔相如》 and 《采芝吟》 in four juan. The chuanqi play 《荊釵記》 is attributed variously to Ke Danqiu of the Yuan and, in another assessment, to Zhu Quan.

The bibliography further contains 《乾坤生意》 in three juan, 《凌虛八景詩》, 《原始祕書》 in ten juan, 《史斷（朱權）》 in one juan, 《唐樂笛色譜》, 《壽域神方》 in four juan, 《太古遺音》 in two juan, 《家訓（朱權）》 in six juan, 《寧國儀範》 in seventy-four juan, 《文譜》 in eight juan, 《書評》 in one juan, 《活人心》 in two juan, 《滄海遺珠》, 《琴阮啟蒙》 in one juan, 《瓊林雅韻》, 《異域志》 in one juan, 《神隱志》 in two juan, 《肘後神樞》 in two juan, 《詩譜》 in one juan, 《豫章志》, 《運化玄樞》 in one juan, and 《遐齡洞天志》 in two juan. He is also listed as the author of 《臞仙神隱》 in four juan, 《焚香七要》 in one juan, 《地理正言》 in one juan, and 《天皇至道太清玉冊》 in eight juan.