liǔ 柳

Liu Zongyuan (773–819) Zi: Zihou. He was from Hedong (now Yongji County, Shanxi Province), so he was also known as Liu Hedong. He was a litterateur of the Tang Dynasty. He passed the imperial examinations during the Zhenyuan period of Emperor Dezong and served as a censor. Later, he was demoted to be the Magistrate of Yongzhou and then the Governor of Liuzhou, so he was also known as “Liu Liuzhou”. He was the main proponent of the Ancient Prose Movement in the Tang Dynasty. His poems and essays were good at depicting landscapes and reflecting reality, with a fresh and incisive style. His collected works include Collected Works of Liu Hedong and Records of the Dragon City. Liu Jingting (1587–1670?) Real name: Fengchun. He was from Qinzhou. He was a famous storyteller in the late Ming Dynasty. His original surname was Cao. To avoid his enemies, he wandered around the world. Resting under a willow tree, he changed his surname to Liu. He once joined the military staff of Zuo Liangyu. After Zuo's defeat, he also joined the army of Admiral Ma in Songjiang but ended up frustrated. He was good at storytelling, which could make people stop and listen with great pleasure and forget about fatigue.