Fan Li was an important political and military advisor to Goujian, the king of Yue.

He later was known as Tao Zhu Gong (陶朱公) a name he took after achieving a decisive victory for Yue over the state of Wu and retiring to live a secluded life with his wife Xi Shi, one of the most famous beauties in Chinese history.

After the victory, Fan resigned and renamed himself Tao Zhu Gong (Chinese: 陶朱公; pinyin: Táo Zhū Gōng).

After retiring from his ministerial post he lived with Xi Shi, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China, on a fishing boat, roaming the misty wilderness of Lake Tai in the style of the Taoist immortals of old.

[2] Fàn Li's writings are lost, and only known through quotes in a compilation of works by Cai Mo (281–356).