Yu Fan, courtesy name Zhongxiang, was a Chinese essayist, politician, and writer of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
45 Facts About Yu Fan
1.
2.
Yu Fan was known for being very candid, outspoken and direct.
3.
Yu Fan mocked and belittled two enemy officers, Yu Jin and Mi Fang, who surrendered to Sun Quan.
4.
Yu Fan lived in exile for over a decade, during which he spent his time lecturing and writing.
5.
The authoritative historical source on Yu Fan's life is the Records of the Three Kingdoms, written by Chen Shou in the third century.
6.
Yu Fan was from Yuyao County, Kuaiji Commandery, which is in present-day Yuyao, Zhejiang.
7.
When Yu Fan became older, he served as an Officer of Merit under Wang Lang, the Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery.
8.
Yu Fan was mourning the death of his father when he received news that Sun Ce was going to attack Kuaiji, so he rushed from his home to the commandery office and asked to meet Wang Lang.
9.
Yu Fan considered bringing Wang Lang north to Guangling Commandery to evade Sun Ce, but Wang Lang, who believed in stories about the immortal Wang Fangping, wanted to travel to the "South Mountain" and take shelter there.
10.
Yu Fan then accompanied Wang Lang as they escaped from Kuaiji Commandery by sea and headed south to Houguan County.
11.
The Yu Fan Biezhuan provided a different account of the above events.
12.
However, Yu Fan turned back before reaching his destination because he received news that Sun Ce's army was advancing towards Kuaiji Commandery.
13.
Yu Fan did not return home immediately because he felt that he was still on a mission.
14.
Yu Fan travelled day and night to Houguan County to meet Wang Lang, who then sent him home to attend his father's funeral.
15.
Yu Fan was reinstated as an Officer of Merit by Sun Ce after he returned to Kuaiji Commandery.
16.
Yu Fan encountered Yu Fan, who asked him where his bodyguards were.
17.
Yu Fan's men recognised the sound of the horn and rushed there to join him.
18.
Yu Fan travelled to Yuzhang Commandery and succeeded in convincing Hua Xin to surrender by pointing out that he stood no chance against Sun Ce.
19.
Yu Fan considered sending Zhang Hong, but he still preferred Yu Fan.
20.
Pei Songzhi commented that the Jiang Biao Zhuan's account of Yu Fan persuading Hua Xin to surrender is less reliable as compared to another account from the Wu Li.
21.
Yu Fan believed that Hua Xin was not militarily weaker than Wang Lang and he might have resisted Sun Ce if he was in control of Kuaiji Commandery instead of Yuzhang Commandery.
22.
Yu Fan was appointed as the Chief of Fuchun County later.
23.
Yu Fan disapproved because he was worried that the Shanyue tribes would take advantage of their absence to cause trouble in the counties, hence he remained in Fuchun County but wore mourning garments to express his grief.
24.
When Yu Fan heard about it, he ordered the people in Kuaiji Commandery to hold their positions and await orders from their new lord while he met Sun Hao in person.
25.
The Sanguozhi mentioned that Yu Fan was the Chief of Fuchun County, but the Wu Shu and Kuaiji Dianlu suggested that Yu Fan was still serving as an Officer of Merit in Kuaiji Commandery at the time.
26.
The warlord Cao Cao, who then held the nominal appointment of Minister of Works even though he controlled the central government, wanted to recruit Yu Fan to serve in his office.
27.
Yu Fan made annotations to the I Ching and sent his writings to Kong Rong, the Minister Steward in the Han central government.
28.
Yu Fan was known for being very candid and direct in giving advice to Sun Quan, but, in doing so, he offended his lord on many occasions and made him unhappy.
29.
Yu Fan claimed that he was ill and returned to Jianye to put Guan Yu off guard.
30.
Sun Quan made peace with Cao Pi and planned to send Yu Jin back to Wei, but Yu Fan objected and urged him to execute Yu Jin.
31.
When he came to Yu Fan, he saw that Yu Fan was lying on the ground and appeared to be drunk, so he walked away.
32.
Yu Fan immediately sat up as soon as Sun Quan walked away.
33.
Sun Quan thought that Yu Fan was deliberately snubbing him, so he turned furious, drew his sword and wanted to kill Yu Fan.
34.
Yu Fan once sailed along the river and encountered Mi Fang.
35.
Mi Fang's men closed the gates so Yu Fan was unable to pass through.
36.
Yu Fan was known to be very direct in his speech and there were many instances when he offended people while he was drunk.
37.
Yu Fan annotated ancient classics such as the Daodejing, Lunyu and Guoyu.
38.
The Yu Fan Biezhuan recorded that in 229, after Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor and established the state of Eastern Wu, Yu Fan wrote a memorial to congratulate him.
39.
Yu Fan expressed remorse for his past mistakes and hinted that he hoped that Sun Quan would allow him to return to Jianye.
40.
When Yu Fan was living in exile, he was still very concerned about state affairs.
41.
Sun Quan heard about it later and was so angry with Yu Fan for opposing his decision that he banished Yu Fan further south to Mengling County, Cangwu Commandery, which is located in present-day Guangxi.
42.
Yu Fan commented that Sun Quan's lack of tolerance for Yu Fan was a sign that Sun Quan was not as magnanimous as he seemed.
43.
Yu Fan appeared as a character in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.
44.
In chapter 43, Yu Fan was one of the Wu scholars who debated with Zhuge Liang over Sun Quan's decision to ally with Liu Bei against Cao Cao.
45.
In chapter 75, during Lu Meng's invasion of Jing Province, Yu Fan succeeded in persuaded Guan Yu's subordinate Fu Shiren to surrender.