Yuan Zhen
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Yuan Zhen (Chinese: 元稹; pinyin: Yuán Zhěn; Wade-Giles: Yüan Chen, 779–831), courtesy name Weizhi (微之), was an important Chinese writer and poet in the middle Tang Dynasty known for his work Yingying's Biography.
A native of Luoyang, Yuan was a descendant of Northern Wei's ruling elites. He lost his father at the age of eight and moved to Fengxiang, near today's Baoji, Shaanxi with his mother Lady Zheng (郑氏). Yuan began his writings at the age of fifteen, he was a member of Bai Juyi's literary circle and a key figure in the ancient literature revival. He was a friend of Bai Juyi and also of Xue Tao, a courtesan and famous poet who might have been his lover.
Yuan was the author of Yingying's Biography (鶯鶯傳) which was adapted for operas and songs. In 813, he wrote a grave inscription for Du Fu, which contains some of the earliest known praise for his predecessor's works.
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- 2005 Encyclopædia Britannica, copyrighted 1994-2005
- Bian, Xiaoxuan, "Yuan Zhen". Encyclopedia of China (Chinese Literature Edition), 1st ed.
