Tao Hongjing

Tao Hongjing was a scholar-hermit, healer, and alchemical thinker in southern China’s Liang dynasty. Recognized from youth for his brilliance, he served as a court tutor and military official before retreating at age thirty-six to the mountains of Maoshan. There he devoted himself to studying medicine, compiling herbs, and writing—most notably his Shennong Bencao Jing Jizhu (Variorum of Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica), which became a cornerstone of Chinese pharmacology.

Emperor Wu of Liang, who knew Tao from earlier years, repeatedly asked him to return to court as an advisor. In response, Tao sent the emperor a painting of two oxen: one grazing freely, the other bridled in gold and led by a rope. The message was clear—Tao valued autonomy over prestige. The emperor accepted his choice yet continued seeking his counsel on state affairs, earning Tao the nickname Chancellor in the Mountains.