Zhan was born in
Zengcheng, Guangdong. He was appointed the president of
Nanjing Guozijian (南京國子監, the Imperial Nanjing University) in 1524. He was later appointed the
Ming dynasty Minister of Rites (禮部, which mainly administers national ceremony, sacrifice, imperial examination, education, diplomacy, etc.), Minister of Personnel (), and then Minister of War () at
Nanjing. As a scholar, Zhan is famous for
mind theory (a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of the mind and its relation to the body and the external world). He was also a famous educator. During his life, he founded or jointly founded more than 40
Shuyuan (書院, Confucian academies). Zhan was a lifelong friend of the philosopher, general, and administrator
Wang Yangming. They shared an appreciation of
Lu Xiangshan idealism (xinxue),
Daoism, and
Buddhism, although their intellectual paths ultimately diverged. ==References==