xú 徐

### King Xu Yan During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, he was a vassal of the Xu State with the title of viscount. He governed the state with benevolence and righteousness. After obtaining a red bow and arrows, he regarded it as a divine sign from heaven and proclaimed himself King Xu Yan. Thirty - six states in the Huaihe and Yangtze River regions followed him. King Mu ordered the State of Chu to launch an attack on him. Out of love for his people, King Xu Yan chose not to engage in battle and was eventually defeated by Chu. ### Xu Fu A Taoist alchemist in the Qin Dynasty, with the courtesy name Junfang. His birth and death years are unknown. When Emperor Shi Huang heard that there was an elixir of immortality on Zizhou Island in the East China Sea, he sent Xu Fu on a large ship carrying three thousand boys and three thousand girls to search for it. Xu Fu went and never returned. He is also sometimes referred to as "Xu Shi". ### Xu Jingye The grandson of Xu Ji in the Tang Dynasty. He was well - known for his bravery and often accompanied Xu Ji on military expeditions. He inherited the title of Duke of Ying. Due to some incident, he was demoted to the position of a minor official in Liuzhou. Later, he joined forces with Luo Binwang and others to oppose Empress Wu. After the military failure, he was killed by his subordinates. ### Xu Da (1332 - 1385) With the courtesy name Tiande, he was from Haozhou in the Ming Dynasty. He assisted Zhu Yuanzhang in rising up in arms, and made numerous military achievements. He led troops to pacify the Central Plains in the north and entered Yanjing. He was a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, holding the position of the right prime minister of the Zhongshu Province and was enfeoffed as the Duke of Wei. After his death, he was posthumously granted the title of King of Zhongshan. ### Xu Beihong (1892 - 1952) Originally named Shoukang, he was from Yixing, Jiangsu Province. He graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux - Arts in Paris, France. He successively served as the president of the Beijing Art Academy and the China Academy of Fine Arts. He once took modern Chinese paintings to countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy for exhibitions. His lifelong pursuit was to improve traditional Chinese paintings and promote Chinese art. He was skilled in Western - style painting and was good at depicting animals. His traditional Chinese paintings of horses were the most well - known, with simple, lively brushwork. He was able to integrate Chinese and Western painting techniques to create his own unique style. He authored On the Improvement of Chinese Painting, Beauty and Art, and some painting collections. ### Xu Zhimo (1896 - 1931) Originally named Zhangxu, he was known by his courtesy name. He was from Haining County, Zhejiang Province. He once studied in the United Kingdom and the United States. He was famous for his new - style poems and vernacular prose, with a magnificent style. He successively served as a professor at Peking University, Soochow University, and other universities, and was the editor - in - chief of the Poetry Section of Beijing Morning Post and Crescent Moon Magazine. He died in an airplane crash. His works include Zhimo's Poems, Self - Analysis, Scenes in Paris, and A Night in Florence.