Xie An (320–385 CE) was a prominent statesman of the Eastern Jin dynasty. His courtesy name was Anshi, and he was a native of Yangxia, Chen Commandery (modern-day Taikang, Henan).
Born into the illustrious Xie clan of Chen Commandery – one of the most powerful aristocratic families of the era – he received an excellent classical education from an early age.
In his youth, Xie An deliberately eschewed official service, choosing instead to live as a recluse on Mount Dong (East Mountain) in Kuaiji Commandery (modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang). There, he cultivated a life of refined detachment, frequently engaging in philosophical discourse, poetry, and landscape excursions with leading cultural figures such as Wang Xizhi (the “Sage of Calligraphy”) and Sun Chuo, embodying the ideal of the ‘qingtan’ (pure conversation) literati.
It was not until his mid-forties that he finally entered government service, marking the beginning of a distinguished political career.
The pinnacle of his statesmanship came during the Battle of Fei River (Feishui) in 383 CE. As the de facto supreme commander of the Eastern Jin forces, Xie An displayed extraordinary composure and strategic acumen. While maintaining an outwardly calm demeanor at court – even continuing a game of weiqi (Go) upon hearing news of victory – he orchestrated the defense through his younger brother Xie Shi and nephew Xie Xuan.
With only 80,000 troops, they decisively defeated the vastly superior army of Former Qin, which claimed to number nearly one million under the ruler Fu Jian. This stunning victory of the few over the many not only preserved the survival of the Eastern Jin but also halted the north’s attempt at reunification for decades, becoming one of the most celebrated military triumphs in Chinese history.
Xie An’s leadership exemplified the Confucian ideal of the cultured statesman who combines literary refinement with decisive political and military action – a model immortalized in the idiom “Dongshan zai qi” (“rising again from East Mountain”), symbolizing a wise man’s return to public service after seclusion.
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