Luan Da was a Chinese occultist, politician, and religious leader during the early Han dynasty from the state of Yue.
23 Facts About Luan Da
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Luan Da professed to know the secret to immortality and be able to communicate with spiritual beings.
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Luan Da gradually lost the emperor's favour and went on a purported visit to immortals; however, he was eventually captured and executed.
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Luan Da's death was a sign of the trade's fall from favour; laws were passed to restrict the practice of mediumship, even penalising those who married its practitioners.
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Shaoweng, the court mystic who preceded Luan Da and had studied under the same teacher, performed a ritual that was exposed to be a fraud.
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Not much is known about Luan Da's early life, only that he was born in Yue and was the eldest child in his family.
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The state of Yue was renowned for its mediums, and Luan Da was a fine example.
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Luan Da was originally a mystic in the court of the emperor's brother, Liu Ji, the Prince of Jiao Dong.
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Luan Da claimed that with enough stature and skill, one could create gold, manufacture a means to achieve immortality, dam the Yellow River, and become an immortal.
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Luan Da then expressed concern at how Shaoweng had been killed, but the excited emperor assured him that the rumours of Shaoweng's execution were false.
11.
Luan Da set down a Xiangqi board and, while chanting, caused the chess pieces to charge at one another.
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The emperor was reassured that Luan Da truly had power.
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The emperor himself, along with envoys, members of the royal family, and high-ranking officials often invited Luan Da to dine or paid him house calls merely to ask how he was doing.
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Luan Da was no longer merely Emperor Wu's subject, but an envoy of the immortal beings with status equal to the emperor.
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In possession of these newly-bestowed honours, Luan Da spent every evening at home, attempting to summon spirits.
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Luan Da attempted to delay, but eventually realised he had to appease the emperor and allay his suspicions.
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Luan Da ordered his followers to stay behind while he went ahead to meet the immortals, telling them that the spiritual beings would not descend to meet with lowly servants.
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Luan Da returned to his group and reported that he had seen his immortal master and that they were to report back to the emperor.
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When Luan Da returned, he told the emperor of his falsified meeting with the immortals; however, he sensed that the emperor did not believe him.
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Dumbfounded, Luan Da attempted to continue his lies; however, the emperor called for the spy to come forth and expose the lies.
21.
The emperor extended his fury to the Marquess of Lecheng for introducing Luan Da, having him beheaded and his body then defiled.
22.
Later in the Han dynasty, mystics like Luan gradually lost their influence as the rulers passed many laws against them.
23.
Luan Da's fall signaled the beginning of the end for these mystics.