A Late Start in Officialdom

In the second year of the Xiaochang era (526 CE), 43-year-old Lu Chou finally “untied his coarse garments” (解褐) to enter government service as a Rear Vice Gentleman for Miscellaneous Affairs. This phrase, common in Han-Wei period inscriptions, symbolized the transition from commoner to official—a rite of passage most elites completed decades earlier. While child prodigies like 12-year-old Gan Luo (who became a Qin dynasty minister) or teenage generals like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing (who defeated the Xiongnu before turning 25) dominated historical narratives, Lu’s belated career start raises intriguing questions about social mobility in Northern Wei China.

The Weight of Early Achievement in Chinese History

Ancient Chinese bureaucracy prized youthful talent. During the Qin dynasty, registration in the household census (傅籍) at age 15-17 marked adulthood and eligibility for conscription. The excavated bamboo slips of “Xi” from Shuihudi reveal how this system functioned—recording a boy’s birth in 262 BCE and his official registration at 15. Against this backdrop, contemporaries like the Xianbei aristocrat Tuoba Hu seemed destined for greatness:

– Age 8: Demonstrated exceptional maturity
– Age 11: Enfeoffed as Prince of Langya with 500 households
– Age 15: Appointed as Palace Attendant and Advisor

Lu’s humble beginning as a seventh-rank sinecure official—a position created during the Western Jin to accommodate retired or elderly functionaries—stood in stark contrast.

The Uneven Path of a Minor Official

Lu’s epitaph paints a rosy picture of his career:

> “He moved through palace halls, diligently served in restricted chambers, attended nobles with propriety, and grew increasingly favored.”

Reality appears less glamorous. After eight obscure years following his initial appointment, Lu only gained a supporting role in Ningyi Commandery (modern Liquan County, Shaanxi) in 534 CE. His fortunes temporarily improved when Emperor Xiaowu fled to Chang’an—Lu received the hollow titles of Champion General and Central Scattered Cavalry Officer during the mass enfeoffments that followed. Fellow recipient Li Xian (later a Northern Zhou dynasty pillar) gained substantive positions and a 1,000-household fiefdom, while Lu’s eventual promotion to Grand Master of the Palace and Founding Viscount came with a meager 300 households—less than half Tuoba Hu’s childhood allowance.

Silk Road Treasures in an Unremarkable Tomb

The 2010s excavation of Lu’s tomb near Xi’an’s Xianyang Airport revealed unexpected treasures among 227 burial objects:

– Two gold solidi from Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491-518 CE)
– One shattered silver drachm from Sassanid King Peroz I (r. 459-484 CE)
– Glassware and decorative beads of Mediterranean origin
– Vivid terracotta figurines depicting deep-eyed, curly-haired Westerners

These findings place Lu’s burial among China’s earliest deposits of Western currency, predating:
– The 532 CE Byzantine coin in a suspected Northern Wei imperial tomb (Luoyang)
– The 550 CE Byzantine coins in Princess Ruru’s tomb (Hebei)
– The 578 CE Byzantine solidus in Dugu Luo’s Sui dynasty tomb (just 3km from Lu’s site)

Why Xi’an? The Silk Road’s First Stop

The concentration of early Mediterranean artifacts around Chang’an (modern Xi’an) underscores its role as the primary Silk Road gateway. Unlike later finds in Luoyang or Hebei, Lu’s coins traveled just 20 years from minting to burial—a testament to Xi’an’s position as the Western Han’s starting point for camel caravans crossing the Taklamakan.

This geographical advantage fuels the ongoing Xi’an vs. Luoyang debate over Silk Road primacy. As UNESCO World Heritage designation carries immense cultural and economic weight, Lu’s unexpectedly early Byzantine coins strengthen Xi’an’s claim as the route’s historical nexus.

The Bigger Picture: Cultural Exchange Beyond Borders

Lu’s modest grave goods—likely acquired through secondary trade rather than direct diplomacy—mirror broader patterns of Eurasian exchange:
– Japan’s Yayoi period transformation (300 BCE-300 CE) possibly influenced by Qin-era migrants like the legendary Xu Fu
– Synthetic pigments (e.g., Han purple) appearing in Roman glass and Japanese beads
– Steppe corridor exchanges predating formal Silk Road establishment

As the archaeologist who uncovered Lu’s tomb reflected: “Research knows no borders. At this moment, I long to sing: ‘You and I, heart to heart, one world, one family.'”

The story of an unexceptional bureaucrat thus becomes a lens for examining 6th-century China’s connections to a wider world—where Byzantine gold could grace the tomb of a minor official, and where cultural currents flowed as steadily as the caravans crossing continents.