Bao Zhao

Life and career

Bao Zhao, courtesy name Mingyuan (明遠), was born around the year AD 414. He was probably born in the town of Jingkou (modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province), though some sources say he was born in Shangdang (modern Zhangzi County, Shanxi Province) or Xuzhou (modern Tancheng County, Shandong Province). Bao's younger sister Bao Linghui was also a poet, and seven of her poems have survived.

Little is known of Bao's early life. He was born into a scholar-class family whose fortunes had declined. He was probably a farmer as a young man before beginning his career as an official on the staffs of local princes of the Liu Song dynasty. Beginning in about 438, Bao served as an attendant gentleman (shìláng 侍郎) to Liu Yiqing (劉義慶), the prince of Linchuan. In the early 440s, Liu served as governor of Jiangzhou (roughly corresponding to modern Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces), and Bao writes that he traveled around the area of modern Jiujiang, writing poems on the mountain scenery around Mount Lu.

After Liu Yiqing's death in 444, Bao briefly returned home to Jingkou. Then, in 445, he joined the staff of Liu Jun (劉駿; 436–463), another Liu Song prince, who was serving as governor of Yangzhou (modern Nanjing). Bao spent several years in Liu Jun's service and accompanied him on his campaign to retaliate against the Xianbei-ruled Northern Wei dynasty, which had invaded southern China in January 451. Bao left Liu Jun's staff about 452, spending the next 12 years serving in various local governmental positions, as well as a stint in the imperial capital Jiankang (modern Nanjing) as a professor at the Imperial Academy.

In 464, Bao joined the staff of the seven-year-old prince Liu Zixu (劉子頊; 457–466), who nominally served as governor of Jingzhou. In early 466, another Liu Song prince rebelled and declared himself Emperor, and Liu Zixu soon joined the rebellion, probably encouraged by his adult advisors. The rebellion was put down in the following months, and in September 466 imperial forces retook Jingzhou. Because the rebellion was organized by the prince's aides and administrators, and not the young prince himself, Bao was unable to escape punishment for his involvement. The nine-year-old Liu Zixu was forced to commit suicide, and all of his staff members, including the approximately 52-year-old Bao, were executed.