Fan Zhongyan

Fan Zhongyan, courtesy name Xiwen (希文), was a Chinese military strategist, philosopher, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. After serving the central government for several decades, Fan was appointed Prime Minister or Chancellor over the entire Song empire. Fan's philosophical, educational and political contributions continue to be influential to this day, and his writings remain a core component of the Chinese literary canon. His attitude towards official service is encapsulated by his oft-quoted line on the proper attitude of scholar-officials: "They were the first to worry the worries of All-under-Heaven, and the last to enjoy its joys". Fan was a respected Confucian scholar and one of the most prominent members of the Fan family.

5 September 0989

Born on the same birth day (5 September): Bernard Delfont • Caroline Dolehide • Daniel Moreno • Dulce Saguisag • Giacomo Meyerbeer • Jack Valenti • Jesse James • Leonardo Araújo • Louis Juchault de Lamoricière • Michael Keaton • Ours-Pierre-Armand Petit-Dufrénoy • Rawl Lewis