Wu Cheng was born in 1249 in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, into a poor family with a scholarly heritage. His early training was in the Zhu Xi (1130-1200) lineage, but he was also exposed to the idea of harmonizing the Zhu Xi teachings with those of Lu Xiangshan (1139-1193), and he also had an affinity for southern Daoism.
Wu Cheng was born in 1249 in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, into a poor family with scholarly roots. His early education followed the Zhu Xi (1130-1200) lineage, but he also encountered ideas of integrating Zhu Xi teachings with those of Lu Xiangshan (1139-1193), and he had an inclination towards southern Daoism.