Zhuge Zhan

Zhuge Zhan (227–263),courtesy name Siyuan, was a politician and military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He was a son of Shu Han's chancellor Zhuge Liang.

Early life

When Zhuge Zhan was 16 years old, the emperor of Shu, Liu Shan, arranged a marriage between his daughter and the adolescent, and made his son-in-law a Captain of the Cavalry, a title slightly lower than that of a general. One year later, the captain was promoted to General of the Household, serving as an imperial guardian. Henceforth, the prince consort constantly received promotions, and served many posts, including both civil and military appointments.

Besides his many official titles, Zhuge Zhan was an artist who was particularly good at painting and calligraphy. Since the people of Shu yearned for the deceased Zhuge Liang, they especially loved Zhuge Zhan's talents. Whenever there was a good policy set up within the state, the citizens would credit Zhuge Zhan with it, even though it actually had nothing to do with him. As Zhuge Liang banned the post of Historian in Shu, it was hard to distinguish which policy was suggested by Zhuge Zhan, and which was not, but Zhuge Zhan's reputation was surely greater than his real accomplishment.