Shen Zhou, also named Qinan, was from Changzhou. His grandfather Shen Cheng was promoted as a virtuous person during the Yongle period, but he did not accept it. The place where he lived was called Xizhuang, and he entertained guests with banquets every day. People compared him to Gu Zhongying. (Shen Zhou)'s uncle Shen Zhenji and his father Shen Hengji were as aloof and reclusive as Shen Cheng. A bamboo house was built where the brothers studied. He is good at writing poetry and painting, and his servants know some knowledge about writing. Chen Mengxian, a native of the same county, is Chen Wujing's stepson. Shen Zhou studied with him when he was young and received his guidance and teaching. At the age of eleven, he traveled to the southern capital to study, composed a hundred-rhyme poem, and presented it to Cui Gong, the governor's minister. (Cui Gong) tested "Phoenix Terrace Fu" in person. (Shen Zhou) finished writing it immediately. Cui Gong was very impressed. When I grow up, there is no book I haven’t read. His articles imitated Zuo Qiuming, his poems imitated Bai Juyi, Su Shi, and Lu You, and his calligraphy imitated Huang Tingjian. He was loved by the world, and he was especially good at painting. Commentators said he was the best in the Ming Dynasty.
The county governor wanted to recommend Shen Zhou as a virtuous person. Shen Zhou used the "Book of Changes" to divine and got the ninety-five hexagrams of "Dun", so he made up his mind to live in seclusion. The place where he lived had a beautiful scenery in the Shuizhu Pavilion. The house was full of books, tripods and Yi, and was always empty when celebrities from all over the place came and went. His elegance and literary talent shone for a while. Serve your parents with utmost filial piety. When his father passed away, someone advised him to become an official. (He) replied: "Don't you know (my) mother regards me as her life? How can I leave her side." Life often hates entering the city, so he built a separate home outside the city. If you have something to do, go and stay there. In his later years, in order to avoid hiding his secrets, the governors Wang Shu and Peng Li respected him and wanted to stay in his house, but Shen Zhou all declined on the grounds of his mother's old age.
There was a county governor who recruited painters to paint the walls of his house. Some villagers who hated Shen Zhou put his name on the list of painters, so he was summoned to paint the wall. Someone advised Shen Zhou to visit some powerful people to be exempted from conscription. Shen Zhou said: "It is an obligation to serve in the army. If you visit the powerful people, won't you be humiliated again?" He finally returned from serving. Soon, the county guard went to court, and Quan Cao asked: "How is Mr. Shen?" The county guard didn't know what to answer, so he casually replied: "Very good." When meeting the cabinet, Li Dongyang said, "Does Mr. Shen have a letter?" The county guard was even more surprised and casually replied: "Yes, he hasn't arrived yet." The county guard came out and hurriedly met with Wu Kuan, the minister, and asked, "Who is Mr. Shen?" Wu Kuan described his situation in detail. (Again) I asked the people on the left and right, and (said) it was the person who painted the wall. When he came back, (the county guard) visited Shen Zhou's house, kowtowed twice, took the initiative to take responsibility for his fault, and asked for food. Shen Zhou gave him food, and (the county guard) left Le. Shen Zhou never traveled far in his life because of his mother. His mother died at the age of ninety-nine, and Shen Zhou was also eighty.
Three more years passed, and he died in the fourth year of Zhengde