Wang Can, courtesy name Zhongxuan, was a Chinese politician and poet who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
18 Facts About Wang Can
1.
2.
The historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms described an incident where Wang Can was watching a game of weiqi.
3.
Wang Can then placed the pieces back to their original positions based on memory.
4.
Wang Can was from Gaoping County, Shanyang Commandery, which is around present-day Weishan County, Shandong.
5.
Wang Can was born in a family of high-ranking officials as a son of Wang Qian, a Chief Clerk to the general Wang Can Jin, who was briefly a regent for Emperor Shao in 189.
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Wang Can then headed to Chang'an, where he settled down for the next three years.
7.
Wang Can received several offers to serve in the government but he turned down all of them.
8.
In 194, Wang Can went to Jing Province to seek a position under the provincial governor, Liu Biao.
9.
Wang Can's talents came to fruition during his service in Cao Cao's administration.
10.
In 213, after Emperor Xian enfeoffed Cao Cao as the Duke of Wei and granted him ten cities to form his dukedom, Cao Cao tasked Wang Can with establishing a new system of laws and standards to replace the old one, which had largely fallen into disuse.
11.
In late 216, Wang Can accompanied Cao Cao on his fourth campaign against a rival warlord, Sun Quan.
12.
Wang Can died of illness on the way back to Ye city in the spring of 217 at the age of 41.
13.
Wang Can had two sons, who were executed in 219 for participating in a rebellion led by Wei Feng against Cao Cao's government.
14.
However, Wang Ye, a younger relative of Wang Can, was eventually designated as Wang Can's adopted son to continue his family line.
15.
One of the representative works by Wang Can is the Poem of Seven Sorrows, a five-character poem lamenting the suffering of the people during the years of war.
16.
Wang Can wrote a history book called Records of Heroes.
17.
Later, Wang Can went to visit Cai Yong; although many guests of exalted rank were present, the host hastened to welcome the newcomer with the greatest deference, even wearing his shoes the wrong way in his haste.
18.
The Records of the Three Kingdoms stated that Wang Can was widely read and had a most retentive memory, better than any of his contemporaries.