Lu Ji (Shiheng)

Lu Ji (陸機) or Lu Chi (261-303 C.E.) was a Chinese writer and literary critic from the Kingdom of Wu in south China.

He was a direct descendant of the founders of the kingdom and son of the Wu commander in chief, Lu Kang. After the kingdom was subjugated by the Jin Dynasty (265-420) in 280 Lu Ji moved to the imperial capitol, Luoyang where he became a member of the inteligencia. He was made president of the imperial university and rose to prominence in the government until he was found to be involved in revolutionary plots and executed in 303.

Lu Ji wrote much lyric poetry but is better known for writing fù, a mixture of prose and poetry. He wrote the Wenfu (On Literature), a piece of literary criticism that discourses on the principles of composition.

References

• 2005 Encyclopædia Britannica, copyrighted 1994-2005