Naked Run for Survival. Tang Bohu

Era: Ming Dynasty (The Leading Talent of the Four Great Scholars of Jiangnan)
Tag: The most famous "Naked Runner" in Chinese history, feigning madness and running naked to save his life
Key Event: Escape by running naked from the Prince Ning's Mansion (Year 9 of Zhengde, age 44)
The Naked Run in Detail

1. Entrapment: Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao hired him as a staff member with a hefty payment, and Tang Bohu thought he had found a patron.
2. Revelation: He discovered Prince Ning was recruiting soldiers and plotting rebellion, which was a crime punishable by death for the entire family.
3. Escape: Prince Ning refused to release him, so he had no choice but to pretend to be crazy—stripping naked and running through Nanchang streets, shouting nonsense, and embarrassing himself publicly.
4. Outcome: Prince Ning thought he was truly mad and shameful, so he let him go home; not long after, Prince Ning's rebellion failed, and his entire family was executed. Tang Bohu narrowly escaped death.

Official Historical Records

"History of Ming": "Suspecting him of having rebellious intentions, he feigned madness and indulged in alcohol, revealing his shameful state. Zhu Chenhao could not bear it and released him."

One Sentence Summary

Tang Bohu was not truly crazy; he used the act of running naked as a form of "performance art" to save his own life.