Aging in Early Medieval China: Zuo Si and the "Rhapsody on White Hair"

The article explores the cultural importance and literary legacy of Zuo Si's "Baifa fu" or "Rhapsody on White Hair." In this playful piece, Zuo Si expressed his own hostility towards the idea of going grey, voicing an agist perspective in which he denigrated those who appear visibly aged and expressed his conviction that contemporary Chinese society was entirely youth-focused. Presenting a contrasting view, his white hairs speak up for themselves, claiming that they represent positive values such as wisdom and experience. This extraordinary work of literature, in which the poet argues with a body part, was a very unusual form of writing which inspired little further imitation. Despite this, the "Rhapsody on White Hair" proved enormously influential in establishing the vocabulary and key tropes which many subsequent generations of literati would use to discuss their feelings about aging. This article explores the cultural context in which Zuo Si wrote, addressing the wider issues of conflicting strategies towards dealing with white hair (including plucking and dyeing), and the complex reactions which they evoked as a very visible sign of aging.