Xia Fu, whose courtesy name was Zizhi, was a native of Yu County in Chenliu Commandery. In his youth, he was a Confucian scholar of simple and upright character, never acting with compromise, and his every action was guided by moral principles. Two wealthy and powerful families in his home county, the Gaos and the Cais, were feared and courted by everyone in the commandery. Only Xia Fu kept his doors closed and refused to associate with them.
When Emperor Huan ascended the throne, natural disasters and celestial anomalies occurred frequently. The Emperor issued an edict commanding all officials to recommend one scholar each who dared to speak the truth. The Grand Commandant Zhao Jie recommended Xia Fu, but Xia Fu did not present himself, choosing instead to live in seclusion for a long time.
When Emperor Ling took the throne, the eunuchs led by Cao Jie monopolized the court and ruthlessly persecuted upright scholars, branding them as “Partisans.” Although Xia Fu had not associated with the ruling officials, his immense reputation made Cao Jie and his faction deeply apprehensive. Consequently, he was falsely accused alongside hundreds of others, including Fan Pang of Runan and Zhang Jian of Shanyang, and was included in the Partisan list. An imperial edict was sent to the local commanderies and counties, ordering the arrest of these men as partisan ringleaders.
Upon hearing this, Xia Fu stamped his feet and sighed, “This disaster is of my own making, yet it has unjustly tainted the good and innocent. If I flee death alone, only to bring ruin upon ten thousand families, what reason do I have to live?” He then cut off his beard, changed his clothes to alter his appearance, and fled into Mount Linlu. There, he worked as a hired laborer for a metal smelter. He deliberately ruined his appearance, letting it become haggard and disfigured. For three years he toiled as a common laborer, and no one recognized him.
Later, an imperial edict pardoned and released the Partisans, and men like Zhang Jian emerged from hiding. Xia Fu alone sighed, “I have been abandoned by the world; I am no longer fit to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with my fellow villagers.” He remained in exile, continuing to work as a hired laborer and refusing to return home. His family searched for him but could not find his whereabouts.
Eventually, someone recognized his voice and reported it to Puyang Qian, the Governor of Zhixiang in his home commandery. Puyang Qian sent a carriage to fetch Xia Fu, but Xia Fu hid and refused to come out. Only after the governor’s carriage made three round trips did they finally succeed in bringing Xia Fu back.
Note
Upright scholar Xia Fu was falsely framed as a partisan by corrupt eunuchs. To spare others from disaster, he cut his beard, disguised himself and labored as a metalworker in mountains. Even after amnesty, he stayed in exile until the governor fetched him after three attempts.
Xia Fu:
A prominent victim of the Disasters of the Partisan Prohibitions. Unlike other scholars who fought the eunuchs politically, Xia Fu chose radical self-sacrifice to protect others. His extreme act of disfiguring himself to work as a manual laborer represents the ultimate expression of moral responsibility and self-abnegation.
The Partisan Prohibitions (党锢 / Danggu):
One of the darkest periods in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Corrupt eunuchs purged the scholarly elite who opposed their tyranny. Being labeled a “Partisan” meant imprisonment, execution, or lifelong exile. Xia Fu’s story perfectly encapsulates the tragic fate of the righteous scholars during this era.
Zhang Jian and Fan Pang:
Famous leaders of the Partisan movement. Zhang Jian was particularly famous for fleeing across the country, with countless people risking their lives to hide him. Xia Fu’s self-exile was directly inspired by the massive scale of the persecution against these men.
Disfiguring Oneself to Escape:
In ancient China, the body and hair were considered sacred gifts from one’s parents. Deliberately cutting one’s beard and ruining one’s appearance was a radical, taboo-breaking act. Xia Fu did this to completely erase his identity as a scholar, descending into the lowest social class to avoid implicating his friends and family.
Refusing to Return to Society:
Even after the political threat was gone, Xia Fu refused to reclaim his status. This reflects a profound psychological and spiritual scar. He felt that his survival had come at the cost of others’ suffering, and he no longer felt worthy of participating in polite, civilized society.
The Governor’s Three Trips:
This detail highlights the immense respect local officials still held for persecuted scholars. Despite Xia Fu’s self-imposed exile and refusal, the governor’s persistence in sending a carriage three times shows that moral authority still commanded deep reverence, even in a corrupt era.
夏馥字子治，陈留圉人也。少为诸生，质直不苟，动必依道。同县高俭及蔡氏，凡二家豪富，郡人畏事之，唯馥闭门不与高、蔡通。桓帝即位，灾异数发，诏百司举直言之士各一人。太尉赵戒举馥，不诣，遂隐身久之。灵帝即位，中常侍曹节等专朝，禁锢善士，谓之党人。馥虽不交时官，然声名为节等所惮，遂与汝南范滂、山阳张俭等数百人并为节所诬，悉在党中。诏下郡县，各捕以为党魁。馥乃顿足而叹曰：“孽自已作，空污良善。一人逃死，祸及万家，何以生为？”乃自翦须，变服易形入林虑山中，为冶工客作，形貌毁悴，积佣三年，而无知者。后诏委放，俭等皆出，馥独叹曰：“已为人所弃，不宜复齿乡里矣！”留赁作不归，家人求不知处。其后，人有识其声者，以告同郡止乡太守濮阳潜，使人以车迎馥，馥自匿不肯，潜车三返，乃得馥。
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