author
Can Lu
1494–1551
A Ming-dynasty writer and official, he is best remembered for lively anecdotal prose that gathers strange events, historical stories, and everyday curiosities into memorable reading. His work offers a vivid glimpse of literati culture in sixteenth-century China.
1 Audiobook
庚巳編
by Can Lu
About the author
Born in 1494 in Changzhou, Suzhou, Lu Can was a Ming-era poet and prose writer who also served in government. Catalog records identify him by the courtesy names Ziyu and Junming, and note that he earned the jinshi degree in 1526.
Chinese reference sources describe him as a writer from Suzhou who was appointed a shujishi in the Hanlin Academy and later served as a supervising official. One account says he criticized the power of the imperial secret police and was demoted, later serving in local office.
He is now especially associated with Gengsi Bian (庚巳編), a collection of anecdotes and notes from the Ming period. The book mixes history, rumor, marvels, and observation, making him an appealing author for readers who enjoy the borderland between scholarship and storytelling.